The Next Three Days
by DomsWritersBlock
Summary: What would you do if someone you love was wrong fully committed of a heinous crime? Could you live with yourself for sitting on the sidelines and watching an innocent man have his life taken away? Or would you find a way to prove his innocence.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: The Next Three Days is loosely based on the movie and also on The Lincoln Lawyer movie. But with a JaSam twist. I won't give away too much information, you just have to sit back, read, and tune in to find out what lies ahead for these two characters.  
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><p><strong>THE NEXT THREE DAYS<strong>

**Prologue:**

_Sam had finally gotten her daughter to go to sleep, when she heard the front door open, and footsteps echo in the living room. She placed a gentle kiss on her daughter's head, quietly tip-toed out of the room and closed the door behind her. When she rounded the corner she bumped into the person that she had been eagerly waiting for, in the hall way. _

"_Yes, your home, Lila is finally asleep, even though we had a little argument about her staying up and waiting for you, so she could say goodnight." Sam leaned up to give him a peck, but Jason misinterpreted and kissed her forehead. He had been doing that a lot lately. She followed him into their bedroom and watched as he placed his folders on the desk, and briefcase on the chair._

"_My two girls fighting over me again?" She gave a half smile in response, in attempt to hide her disappointment as she watched him slip off his jacket and loosen his tie. She tried to remind herself that all that mattered was that he was home, where he was supposed to be._

"_Cocky much?" Sam asked as she playfully slapped his arm, before caressing it gently. She couldn't help but miss the feeling of those arms wrapped around her. "Speaking of cocky." She wagged her eyebrows at him before biting her bottom lip flirtatiously. Sam ran her hand down his chest, through the defined hills of his taught abdomen and finally stopped her destination at his buckle._

"_As much as I would love to, I can't Sam." Jason said with an apologetic smile as he removed her hands from his buckle. Sam felt a pang of pain puncture her heart. She quickly ignored it and tried to recover. _

"_Oh, role-playing are we? Cause' usually that's my line." Sam said jokingly. Jason didn't respond for awhile, his eyes were focused on the phone in his hand._

"_No, I have to get up really early for work tomorrow."He said distractedly while pressing buttons on the keyboard of his phone. "And I'll need all the sleep I can get." Jason looked up at her finally._

"_Yea okay." Sam sighed as she rolled her eyes and climbed into the bed. She turned away from him, and stared at the clock in front of her. She heard him let out an exasperated sigh, and then the sound of his pants along with his belt dropping to the floor. It didn't take long for him to climb on to the bed next to her._

"_Sam…if it wasn't important I would be on top of you right now in a second you know I would." Jason whispered into her ear as he pulled her close. A flutter erupted in her heart at the idea, of having him that close, and sharing that intimacy again._

"_It never used to be so important before." She mumbled under her breath as she peaked over her shoulder._

"_Sam." She knew that voice, he was feeling guilty, and the more he spoke in that voice the harder it would be for her to keep her hands off of him. Sam turned over to look at him._

"_No…it's fine, it's just you've been so busy these last few months….and we haven't…been intimate for awhile I just wonder.." Her eyes looked away from his, too afraid to see what possible truths could be reflecting in them._

"_Sam…I would never— She quickly cut him off before he could finish. She knew he wouldn't betray her in such a way, but doubt had laid its seeds and she couldn't help but question something that she use to not worry about._

"_I know you wouldn't….it's just me Jason." She caressed his cheek, before running her hand through his hair. _

"_You know I love you right." __**Yes I would like to still believe that you do.**__ Sam thought to herself. Before nodding her head in response. "And there is no other woman out there...for me, you're the only one I love…well you and Lila, of course." A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips._

"_I know Jason." Sam began tracing her thumb over his bottom lip, it felt just as soft on her hand as it did in her mouth. Her mind was off in another world called ecstasy when she heard Jason's voice interrupt her 30 second fantasy._

"_What do you have planned this Saturday? Jason asked as he removed her hand from his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on her palm, before entwining it with his._

"_Well my mom is supposed to spend the day with Lila and I at the park. Ever since Kristina got that job at the camp mom has been a bit lonely." Sam said distractedly as she thought of the 5 times Alexis had called her and then the unexpected visits._

"_How about, we go on a date this Saturday drop Lila off at Alexis's house, and we have dinner at that favorite restaurant that you like, take a walk on the beach, watch the sunset." __**Like we did when we were in college.**__ Sam couldn't help but smile at the memoires of their younger years. "It will be just like old times." Jason said as he gazed into her eyes, and ran his hand through her hair. She missed this, nights lying awake, they would speak for hours. But ever since he got promoted their lives changed drastically. To hold a conversation longer than 20 minutes that didn't revolve around Jason's work, felt like heaven. "So is it a date?"_

"_Yes, it's a date." Jason placed a quick peck to seal the deal. She whimpered when his lips left hers. But she figured they will have a lot more time to reconnect on Saturday. More like she hoped._

"_Miss, are you ready to order?" Sam looked up at the waiter beside her. It had been 15 minutes since he had asked her that question, and ten minutes before that since he sat her down. Which meant, that Jason could still make it. He wasn't known for being on time, he was known for being fashionably late. If dinner started at 7:00 pm he would most likely be here at 7:40 pm. Sam glanced down at her phone, he still had time to make it. "Miss?" The man asked impatiently, might as well get an appetizer to shut this man up._

"_Yes, um…can I have the garden salad with some more of these, bread sticks. "_

"_Will that be all?" The waiter asked as he took the menu from her hands_

"_Yes…thank you." Sam said overly enthusiastic with a fake wide smile to match. It took 20 minutes for her appetizer to show up. She didn't plan on eating the salad, but out of boredom she began picking at it. She scanned the room, hoping that maybe he would surprise her, and that he would just show up. But she knew her husband; he followed rules, schedules, and even her grocery list down to the 'T'. Plus he wasn't one to be all that spontaneous. After eating all of her salad she realized she was hungry. __**Most likely he would show up, after I finished dinner. Maybe I could convince him for some take home desert.**__ Apart of her wanted to hold on to the belief that he would even show up, she wasn't ready to face the reality of her situation. She was sitting alone at a restaurant all dressed up, for a date that she knew wouldn't happen. Sam felt her phone vibrate in her hand. A gleam of hope filled her chest, and made her heart beat double time. She quickly answered it._

"_Hello?"_

"_Mommie?" The sound of her daughter's voice somehow had calmed her and distracted her in a way._

"_Hey sweetie…what are you doing up so late?" Sam smiled as she thought of her little girl giving her mother a hard time, like she has done to her on several occasions._

"_Well Nana said if I be good I can call and say goodnight to you and daddy." She had almost forgotten about how her date had gone sour, actually it hadn't 'gone' at all. "You're coming to get me tomorrow?"The sound of Lila's voice filled Sam's ears and brought her back to the conversation._

"_Yes, I will little girl, I will be there at 1:00 pm."_

"_Can you come and get me at 4, Nana is gonna take me to see The Smurfs, and then were gonna have ice cream."_

"_Well alright, get an extra scoop for me okay?"_

"_Okay…I love you mommie, goodnight."_

"_Goodnight my love." She was just about to hang up when she heard her daughter speak again._

"_Can I say goodnight to daddy?" _

"_Daddy's….working late honey, but I will tell him for you." After Sam got off the phone with her daughter, she called the waiter over and ordered some food to pass the time. When the food arrived, she dug right in. But as good as it taste, she couldn't enjoy it. The pain in her chest, and the mixture of emotions swirling in her stomach caused her to lose her appetite. Sam didn't bother waiting another second. She paid the bill, and went home alone, again._

_She hadn't gotten much sleep, when he finally arrived home. Sam's eyes immediate glanced over at the clock, 1:45 am. Her mind began to race with endless possibilities, excuses, and even plausible reasons why he hadn't shown up, and why he was coming in so late. She heard the sound of his zipper, and buckle as it hit the floor. There was some shuffling, and then she heard the shower running. It wasn't a long one. Jason climbed in the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. As much as she was furious at him, her body ached for his warmth, and some form of intimacy that it had been neglected of for the past few months._

"_I'm sorry, business…came up." Sam didn't bother responding, the anger that she had felt earlier was rising, and that apology only fueled it even more. "I'll make it up to you somehow." Again Sam lied there silently, her eyes watching the clock in front of her. She knew if she opened her mouth, hurtful words that she couldn't take back, would come out. "I promise." She rolled her eyes, he always made promises he couldn't keep. She could feel the tears of disappointment prickling at the back of her eyes. "I love you, Sam…" __**He must have forgotten what that word meant, when he started working at ELQ**__, Sam thought to herself. When she didn't respond he gave a loud sigh of defeat, and then the warmth that she had felt surrounding her body, vanished. The tears that had been welling up in her eyes, broke free and glided down the slopes of her cheeks and chin. __**What happened to the man I fell in love with?**_

_That question still plagued her mind as she sat impatiently waiting for the jury to read their verdict. Apart of her already knew the answer, but Sam always the optimist held onto the sliver of hope that she had left. _

"_In the matter of the people of the state of New York…" Sam saw the man's mouth moving but only wanted to hear those two little words. "We find the defendant, Jason Quartermaine guilty of the crime and murder of the first degree." She couldn't hear the rest, of what the man said because the sound of Monica's sobs echoed in her ear. Her heart began to pound painfully in her chest, as what was said finally sunk in. Sam's eyes immediately made contact with Jason's. __**I will find out who did this Jason, I promise,**__ though he couldn't read her mind, she felt that he understood, by the way that he nodded and gave her a sad smile. She watched silently as the guard cuffed his hands and walked beside him out of the court room. _

**Three Weeks Prior**

Chapter 1: **Friday**

Jason took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he looked over his presentation speech. He read over the most import lines before closing his eyes in an attempt to cool his nerves. It didn't help one bit, he didn't know why he was so nervous. The research came back with off the charts results, and the experiment answered more questions and would lessen people doubts about medication. Jason glanced down at his watch briefly. He had 10 minutes until the presentation, enough time to relax. He walked over to his black leather chair and sat down leaning back as far as it would allow and closed his eyes. The peace was short lived when he heard the clicking sound of his secretary's heels.

"Mr. Quartermaine, Sam is on line one, and I brought you your water."

"Thank you Margret." His secretary placed the glass on his desk before exiting his office. Jason sighed before sitting up and pressing the button to connect him to Sam.

"Yes, I will be there to see Lila's recital." He answered before she could lecture him.

"I know you will, but I'm more worried about you not being on time. This is really important to Lila."

"Sam this is her fifth recital, what makes it so different from the last four?" Jason asked as he took a long sip from his cup of water.

"She's the Swan in this one, and it's her last recital before soccer starts up. Plus she's the main dancer, well not the _main_ dancer but you get my point."

"No…not really, and I will be there on time, alright."

"Fine…" There was a long pause before he heard her voice enter his ear again. "What's with your voice, you sound more tense than usual."

"Uh…nothing…just this deal I have to close today…it's been putting a lot of stress on me that's all." Jason said as he ran his hand over his forehead and down his face.

"Well maybe this deal will make you slow down, and not over work yourself." He allowed silence to be his reply. "Who am I kidding I've been lecturing you about that for the past 10 years I hardly doubt you'll take that advice now." Jason let out a sarcastic snort in response. "Look I'm sure you'll close it, you're a perfectionist and a hard worker, there is no flaw in any of your work, which is why your client can't say no." A small smile began to form on his face at her way of encouraging him. She always did know what to say to calm him down.

"Thank you." Jason said sincerely before adding. "And I promise to get to the recital on time."

"You're welcome, and I will hold you to it." He hung up the phone as soon as he heard the dial tone.

"You ready?" Jason looked up from his phone and nodded his head before getting up from his seat.

"Ready then I'll ever be." He patted Edward on the back for good measure and walked in front of him towards the board room.

Jason took a good look at the men surrounding the long oval table. He had been working on this proposal for over two months the research had taken up to three years. If they didn't close this deal, he could kiss his career good-bye. Well metaphorically speaking anyway, his grandfather wouldn't fire him for dropping the ball on this deal. But he sure as hell wouldn't let him live it down and neither would the rest of his family. He took a deep breath and glanced at his secretary Margret, signaling her to shut the lights off. Immediately darkness consumed the room for a minor second before the large screen behind him provided them with light bright enough to see the other's faces.

"Good morning gentlemen, many of you may question, how do we know if this pill will actually work, and why should you entrust us with your money?" Jason said making eye contact with vice president of Cohen Brother's Pharmaceuticals. "For starters 95% of the patients who have used Ancalin(Ankl-in) have had remarkable results they have healed faster than any other medication created. Even the FDA strongly agrees that this pill will change medical history." Jason pressed a button on the remote control in his hand, and instantly the screen displayed a slide of graphs from the research on the Ancalin experiment. He watched the expressions on his clients face briefly before turning his attention back to the screen.

"Also it comes with fewer side effects than most and those side effects aren't deadly like other medications are. As for entrusting us with your money for this project, I can guarantee from our previous business partners that have worked with our company that your money is in safe and trustworthy hands. And if that does not clear your doubts I will personally pay you the money you loose on this product. That's how confident I am, I'm betting to pay back money that I don't even have." The men laughed in unison.

"You said 95% of the patients had remarkable results what about the other 5% that didn't?"

"Those 5% all ready had terminally ill disorders, which is why Ancalin could not heal them in time. However Ancalin did prolong their life expectancy, gave the family extra time to let go." Jason signaled to his secretary to turn on the lights. As she did, he pressed a button on his remote control, causing the graphs to disappear and the screen to ascend. "I believe Ancalin, can make a difference in the medical field and more generations to come. If you take this deal you will be saving lives and changing the medical industry as we know it." The next few hours that passed went very quickly, before he knew it the meeting was coming to an end.

"Well Mr. Quartermaine you've presented us with a convincing proposal and a feasible offer, we will run it by Mr. Cohen and we'll get in contact with you when we receive our answer."

"And we will be here, waiting for that call." Edward said with a smirk as he shook the vice president's hand. Jason shook each of the other associates hands and bid them farewells before leaving the board room to head back to his office. Just as he sat down in his leather chair, his grandfather entered the room with a wide smile spread across his wrinkly aged face.

"Excellent job Jase…you nailed it, there is no way Cohen Pharmaceuticals, can say no to us. You answered all of the possible questions they would have and then some. I knew I could count on you to seal the deal. Unlike that no good brother of yours… speaking of AJ, have you spoken to him?"

"No I haven't spoken to my brother since he landed in Europe. And as for Cohen Pharmaceuticals, the deal is not yet sealed grandfather."

"Believe me, son that presentation you just did, scored us big. You should be proud of yourself, I say we celebrate." Edward was enthusiastically, as he placed his hands on Jason's desk and leaned inward.

"Maybe later, Lila has a ballet recital…." Jason glanced down at his watch before adding. "That I am ten minutes late to." He grumbled as he shoved papers into folders quickly. "Sam is going to kill me." Jason mumbled distractedly while he saved the open files on his computer and placed folders into his brief case, completely forgetting Edward's presence.

"I'll see you Sunday for dinner, I presume?" Edward stated more than asked. Jason nodded his head slowly as he mentally checked off his list of things he had to do before he left.

"Yes, grandfather." He said before walking pass the old man and jogging to the elevator. Jason glanced down at his watch again. Sam was definitely going to give him another good lecture about time management. It took him 20 minutes to drive from his job to the Dance Studio. He pulled into Wanda's Dance Studio's parking lot, quickly climbed of the car and ran to back doors of the building. He didn't have to search very hard, through the dark room, Sam always sat in the front, on the left, 2nd row, 5th seat. He said his "excuse me's" and apologies as he shuffled through the small space between the isles. When he finally made it across, his ex didn't give him time to speak.

"You're late." Sam said as she handed Jason the video camera.

"I know." He said, taking a seat beside her before removing the camera from her hands. "What did I miss?"

"Well, thankfully not our daughter." Sam said mockingly with a smirk. "She's up next after Ashley, Josslyn, and Emma."

"And who are they." Sam eyed him firmly before turning her attention back to the stage, choosing to ignore his comment by changing the subject.

"How did the meeting go?" Jason looked at her surprised she even remembered their conversation from this morning.

"It went well grandfather thinks we may have closed the deal."

"But you don't?" Sam continued to keep her eyes focused on the stage before her.

"I do, I just don't want to get my hopes up for nothing."

"If Edward thinks it went well, then there is nothing to worry about, and I'm sure you were…very convincing." Sam looked over at Jason for a second before staring back up at the stage. "Jason…there she is hurry get the video camera ready." Sam tapped Jason's arm and pointed with excitement at their daughter in the baby blue leotard and shimmering white tutu with her hair up in a fancy bun holding a silver wand. He quickly turned his attention back to the camera in his hands. If he missed another recording of Lila's after school and summer activities, Sam was going to do more than just kill him.

"Sam how do you… where is the button to turn it on?" Jason asked confused.

"Really Jason… it's right there." Sam said distractedly, her eyes squinting into the lens of her digital Nokia camera, as she began snapping away. Jason examined the video camera, turning it over numerously in his hands. His eyes could not for the life of him find the power button.

"Right where, this is a new camera, and I can't see the damn power button anywhere, it's too dark in here." Jason groaned in frustration

"Hurry we're missing her." Sam whispered angrily.

"SHHHHHH."The audience around them hissed in unison. Sam glared at Jason before quickly covering her face with her hands in embarrassment.

"Sorry…sorry." Jason whispered his apologies before turning his attention back to the camera.

"Give me the camera." Sam grumbled through clenched teeth before snatching the device from Jason's hands. She quickly pressed the power button and began recording the rest of Lila's dance recital.

A half an hour later the recital was over, the once quiet dark room, was bright and booming with conversations. Jason held onto Sam's hand as they weaved in and out of the crowd of parents, grandparents, siblings, Wanda's Staff and children in the recital. Sam quickly dropped his hand when she spotted their daughter. He watched as she ran towards Lila, drew her into a tight embrace before slowly pulling away.

"Did you see me mom, did you see me?" Lila burst out, excitement evident in her voice.

"Yes I did see you." Sam said with a chuckle before continuing. "And you were amazing, I am so proud of you." She said with a wide smile as she tickled the little girl who in returned answered with giggles. Jason knelt beside her to join in with his family.

"Your mom is right you were great, the best I've ever seen." Jason caressed his daughter cheek before giving it a playful pinch. "Did you have fun?" Lila gushed and nodded in return. "You did…you know what was the best part?" Lila shook her head. "You looked like the princess that I secretly know you are." Jason said with a wink. The moment was short lived when his phone vibrated in his pants. Sam looked over at him and gave a disapproving glare before turning her attention back to their daughter.

"Come on Lila let's go get your things." Sam stood up, and held her hand out for Lila to grab. Jason waited until they were out of earshot to answer the phone.

"Jason Quartermaine speaking, how may I help you?" Jason waited patiently for the caller to respond.

"Mr. Quartermaine, we've located him, he's back at the office…is there anything else you need?" Jason tried to think of what else needed to be done, but before he could his eyes caught Sam and Lila heading in his direction.

"No…just stay with him, I'll call you when I'm on my way to his location." Jason said closing the phone shut just as Sam and Lila returned. His eyes met Sam's, before she could question him, he answered for her.

"Business." She rolled her eyes in response before walking past him, with Lila beside her.

"Isn't it always?" Jason gave a heavy sigh before following her towards the exit.

"What time are you dropping her off on Sunday?" Sam asked as she watched Jason buckle Lila in her seat.

"Is 7:30 okay with you, my grandparents have been asking about Lila." Jason moved aside to allow Sam to pass through the tiny space between the two cars.

"Of course it's okay, and 7:30 is fine. Just make sure she does her homework before you bring her home, so that can be one less thing I'll have to worry about. And absolutely no candy before bed time or nap time, so we do not have a repeat of last weekend." Sam crouched down next to the open car door and stared at her little girl, a warm smile present on her lips. "Behave and listen to daddy okay, I love you." She said as she pulled her daughter into a bear hug.

"I love you too mom." Sam placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead before standing up to look at Jason.

"I'll see you Sunday get home safe… no speeding." She said before handing Jason Lila's Tinkerbell overnight backpack.

"I won't, and you too." Jason said as he climbed into his Black Infiniti SUV and closed the door behind him.

"This is the bar you wanted to take me to?" Sam asked her friend while she quickly climbed out of the passenger seat and followed closely behind the woman. Confusion settled on her features, as she eyed the tall white building with the glowing heading that read 'Velvet'. She could hear the music booming from inside, and the chitter-chatter of the crowd who were on the line. Sam watched as her friend Maxie, walked pass the people on the line, ignoring the cat calls from the men and glares from the females, she swiftly made her way to bouncer. Her friend gave a bright smile towards the larger bouncer decked in black.

"Ladies." The bouncer said simply while he nodded his head slowly before removing the rope and letting them pass.

"She's with me Ted." Maxie said as she grabbed Sam's hand and they walked together inside. Sam could hear the groans of the club goers who were still having trouble getting in.

"How did you..." Sam didn't get a chance to finish.

"I have my ways." Maxie replied with a smirk as she looped her arm with Sam and guided her through the crowd and towards the bar.

Ever since Sam had accidentally come across Maxie and Dr. Steven Webber in the utility closet doing more than looking for utilities. Let's just say their friendship didn't immediately bloom from that incident. But when Epiphany heard about that rumor, Sam was quick to defend and lie for the young girl. She wasn't sure why, maybe because she wanted to wipe that smug look off of the dark woman's face. Either way Maxie had wormed her way into Sam's life, and had been by her side ever since. But because General Hospital were letting a few nurses go, Sam and Maxie had been picking up more shifts than they could handle. Which meant they only had the weekend to relax. So every Friday, they vowed to have their ladies night, to catch up, and gossip.

"Yes ladies night finally." Maxie said as she climbed onto the barstool. Sam let out a laugh before taking a seat next to her.

"What do you mean finally?" Sam playfully slapped Maxie on the arm before adding. "We had one last week."

"What can I get you miss?" The bartender asked as he wiped down the counter of left over peanut shells and spilled beer.

"An apple martini, please." The man nodded and turned his attention to Maxie.

"And you?"

"A gin and tonic." Maxie said as she batted her eyes flirtatiously. The man smiled in return before walking away. "Looks like I have something planned for after hours..." Sam rolled her eyes, picked up the club's menu and began busying herself by twirling it in her hands, in an attempt to ignore her best friend's ogling.

"Maxie… please don't embarrass us like you did at Applebee's." Sam mumbled under her breath. That was another restaurant they could cross of their list. That made two already, well if you wanted to count Chucky Cheese. Either Maxie accidentally hits on underage teenagers or she gets into a heated argument with the young children, which then results in the parent's coming over and then all hell breaks loose. Let's just say when Lila's 5th birthday came up, Chucky Cheese was out of the question.

"How was I supposed to know he was a minor, and while we're still on the topic of last week—"

"We weren't…" Sam paused to say thank you to the waiter who placed her drink on top of a napkin in front of her.

"Well now we are." Maxie said before giving a mocking smile. "Staying at your house and watching movies isn't really considered a girls night out." Maxie grinned widely at the waiter as he placed her drink in front of her also. She mouthed a thank you and watched him as he walked away completely forgetting Sam was sitting beside her.

"Aw come on that was a fun night, we had popcorn and margaritas." Sam's voice brought Maxie back to the present and caused her to roll her eyes, at Sam's attempt to defend their lousy rendition of a girl's night out.

"You were crying during half of the movie."

"It was an emotional movie." Sam mumbled defensively while she ignored Maxie's glares.

"Toy Story 3…is as emotional as me getting a Brazilian Wax." Sam let out a chuckle before bringing the martini glass to her lips. "Need I remind you that when we finally got around to watching something romantic and interesting you fell asleep, leaving me to enjoy the rest of the movie by myself."

"Fine, okay last week was lousy, but see we've finally left the house, were in a bar." Sam said as she waved her hands in different sections of the room. Her eyes caught on a few of the females wardrobe, and she felt horrified for even staring that long. "This is a bar right?" Maxie nodded her head in response as she sipped her gin and tonic.

"Then why are half of these people naked?" Maxie began to look around the room, and realized what triggered Sam's sudden discomfort.

"You've been locked up in your house as a Stepford Wife, so of course you wouldn't understand the new generation's change of fashion." Sam rolled her eyes as she ripped up her napkin into little pieces. She hadn't had time to check up on the latest fashion she was too busy making sure Lila had everything that she never did. Add in her shifts at General Hospital, she hardly had time to think about updating her wardrobe. Not that she'd wanted to anyway, from the looks of it, she wouldn't have much fabric to cover her body. Sam glanced at a woman wearing a lace see through top with tight shorts that barely covered her ass.

"U-huh… I feel like you invited me to a strip club." Maxie's eyes were focused on the bartender that was taking orders from other clubbers at the other end of the bar. Sam ignored her friends ogling and continued her train of thought. "Next time I pick our location." Her eyes widened as she watched a couple dance on the dance floor. If that could even be considered dancing, what they were doing should be illegal.

"Yea not a chance my friend." Maxie said as she winked at the bartender before waving flirtatiously at him. Sam was about to respond when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head slightly and was greeted by a warm bright smile. She had to admit the guy was attractive, cleanly shaven, and dark blue eyes, hell he could have been Chris Evan's older twin brother.

"Hey sexy lady… can I buy you a refill." She should have been flattered to be called sexy, by someone as handsome as the stranger. But she knew where this refill would lead to, and at this moment in her life she wasn't ready for a no-strings attached relationship. Truth be told she wasn't ready for any type of relationship.

"No, thank you." Sam replied as nicely as she could, even throwing in a smile for good measure. Sadly it didn't cause the guy to walk away, instead he continued.

"Well if I can't buy you a drink, than can I at least have a dance?" She eyed the man for a second before thinking of something that might cause him to give up and leave.

"Sorry buddy I'm married." Sam said with a fake smile as she quickly shielded her ring finger. The last thing she needed was for the stranger to notice her ring-less finger and attempt another come on. The man nodded slowly while looking around the room. She was thankful for the guy code. Before she could thank her lucky stars, the man leaned in close towards her, invading her personal space without her permission.

"Is your husband here?" He whispered huskily.

"No." Sam said slowly, her eye brows knit together in confusion. The man showed his wide toothy smile again. Sam felt her patience slowly diminishing. _Jesus this guy can't take the hint._

"Then I don't see what the problem is." He said with a wink. Sam couldn't believe, actually who was she kidding, after seeing the girls here half dressed and the kind of dancing the clubbers were doing on the dance floor, she shouldn't be surprised that the guy would still continue to hit on her, husband or not.

"Exactly, now move along." Sam said as she shooed him away, the man gave her a confused look before walking towards another girl, who gladly took his offer and headed to the dance floor with him.

"Sam what is wrong with you." Maxie said with disbelief as she hit her friend with her purse before adding. "That guy was hot." Sam rolled her eyes while she picked at the slice of apple that was left from her martini. She forgot how 'young' Maxie is sometimes, she's all about the right now, not the future.

"Ugh, no that guy was a creep with no respect for himself, I can't believe he still tried to hit on me after I said I was a married woman." Sam waved the bartender over, and asked for another apple-martini.

"I thought you were divorced." Maxie asked mockingly. Sam ignored her best friend, and watched as the bartender made her drink for her. She was so distracted that she answered without understanding or hearing what Maxie had asked her.

"No, I mean yes I am…divorced." Sam rambled as she picked up a peanut and began removing the shells.

"It's been two years and you don't know if you're still married to the guy?" She didn't get a chance to answer her. Maxie had gotten the bartender's attention and was asking him to make her a refill as well.

"No, were definitely over, I mean divorced." Sam mumbled as she let out a loud frustrated sigh.

"Clearly you're not over Jason, you still love him don't' you?" Maxie asked quizzically as she turned completely in her chair to face her friend.

"Love….is a strong word. Care best describes it." Sam replied uncomfortably, avoiding Maxie's intense stare. They hadn't been friends long, only two years, since her divorce with Jason, and they knew each other like the back of their hand. And their relationship only grew stronger when Maxie started working at General Hospital. But though Sam trust Maxie, with her life even Lila's, it was hard to let down the walls around her heart, especially when it came to Jason. Talking about her relationship always turned the night sour. Because once she opens up, the hurt that was buried resurfaces and so does the scars.

"Sam…it's me, you're talking to, not your mom okay. I can't be easily convinced. Plus you have '_love_' written all over your face." Maxie said as she twirled her index finger in Sam's face.

"I will always love Jason." Sam admitted reluctantly before taking a long sip of her apple martini and then continuing her train of thought. "But love sometimes isn't enough, he's a workaholic. I mean, I know he has worked hard to be where he is now and I admire him for that. But he neglects what should be his first priority, his family. I don't know how many times I've set the table for Christmas and Thanksgiving, and his seat would remain empty for the rest of the night. Or the amount of times he's forgotten our anniversary, and Lila's birthday."

"So you divorced him because he forgot special occasions?" Maxie asked confusion evident in her voice. Sam knew now that once she started, she had to finish. Or else Maxie wouldn't let the conversation sit.

"No… I divorced him because he forgot about us, our relationship, and commitments." Sam replied softly as she continued to play with the peanuts in the wooden serving bowl.

"Oh my god he cheated." Sam's head snapped up and her eyes immediately met Maxie's sympathetic ones.

"No, he didn't cheat, but his job might as well have been his affair." Sam answered glumly, as she de-shelled another peanut and popped it in her mouth. "And it hurts knowing that there was nothing I could've done or said that would've stopped him from allowing his work to come between us. So instead of sitting around in a marriage where we became roommates and he comes and goes when he pleases, I filed for divorce." Sam felt a warm hand enclose on hers. She glanced at Maxie, the woman who she never thought would be friends, mainly because Maxie is brutally honest and never holds her tongue. And some things that she says are hard to swallow.

"I'm sorry Sam." Maxie said with sincerity. Sam shrugged in response before taking another sip of her martini.

"I think what really ended our relationship, is that he didn't fight me on it. He didn't ask why I wanted the divorce or if we could save the marriage. It's like he just gave up."

"But you filed for divorce...so how did he give up when you are the one who threw in the towel?"

"We tried marriage counselors….but he'd never make it to the meetings or he always ended up coming late. We even went away for a vacation…but it turned out it was a business trip….he was busying closing a deal while I sat watching the water. So you see, I exhausted every option I could, and every time I confronted him, he'd say I was overreacting, or he' buy me a gift. Or worse he'd promise…to try. But he never did."

"What an asshole…." Maxie said with disgust. Sam shrugged. She knew her friend didn't know Jason like she did, not many knew what kind of man Jason was because he forever molds himself into what he thinks people want.

"He wasn't like that all the time, working with his family put stress on him, it's like he still has something to prove. And I have no clue what that is." Sam said defending Jason, who wasn't there to defend himself.

"But you still love him…and I've heard love can sometimes fix anything." Maxie said encouragingly. _If only life could be that easy_, Sam thought to herself.

"Loving someone sometimes means letting them go." Sam gave a weak smile before taking a sip of her drink.

"But you haven't let Jason go—"

"Getting the divorce was the first part, it's the remaining feelings that I need to let go."

"Well I know one way you can do that." A mischievous smirk began to spread across Maxie's full lips. That smile usually meant her friend was up to no good or that she had a plan that would back fire. Either way, someone always ended up hurt.

"Really…how?" Sam asked sarcastically, before adding. "If you suggest a voodoo doll I'll—"

"Not a voodoo doll, that doesn't even work, but dating." Sam eyed her friend curiously before shaking her head.

"Before I even get to dating, I need to get over Jason." As much as she hated admitting it, Jason still had a part of her heart, and until she got it back, no one would be able to have her completely nor would she be able to love another person the way she had loved Jason.

"Sam that's never going to happen, you've been with the guy since you graduated college. You've built a life with him, had a child with him. That love you still feel isn't going to go away, and seeing as how you're not forcing it's process you're gonna have to try some drastic measures."Sam gave Maxie a wry smile before taking a long sip from her apple-martini.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hoped you like the first chapter. I will update every three days. So the next update shall be on Friday. Comments, and Opinions are appreciated. =)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: **Saturday**

Jason was consumed with work, tying up loose ends and making calls to handle unfinished business. He was looking through some files in the folders he had taken home from work, when he felt something tap his feet. He peaked over the papers and glanced down at a soccer ball, slowly rolling in the direction it had originally came from.

"You're suppose-ta help me with soccer." Lila said shyly, as she tugged on the hem of her jersey. Jason felt a pang of guilt hit his heart. Here he was, doing the one thing he had promised a few months ago, not to do.

"Alright sweet-heart, give daddy a minute to change okay." Jason ruffled the top of his daughter's dark raven hair, before walking quickly to his room to change. After two hours of training, he was wiped out. He wasn't sure if it was from old age or the fact that he was out of shape, he squeezed his stomach. No it wasn't the latter. Jason felt Lila snuggle in closer to his side, and realized how late it had gotten. He turned off the movie Madagascar, and was about to carry Lila to her bed when his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He gently maneuvered himself away from his daughter and tip-toed as fast as he could to answer his phone.

"Hello?"

", I'm uncertain if you've received my other messages—" Jason realized that he had left his phone in the house when he went outside with Lila. He cursed under his breath, before responding.

"No, I have not." He replied coldly.

"Then they are irrelevant, I'm just reporting that he has returned to his apartment."

"What were the other locations?" Jason asked impatiently.

"He stopped at the cleaners to pick up his suits, visited some woman on Crowley Street, he was with her for a good portion of the day. Now he's back home." Jason nodded his head slowly allowing the information to sink in.

"Alright…make sure that you call me if he leaves, I'm on my way. I'll contact you when I arrive at his apartment." Jason closed his phone shut and began saving files on his computer. He organized the papers and folders on his desk before going to his room and changing into dark jeans and a loose, gray, v-neck shirt. Once he was dressed, he jogged to the living room to grab the keys off of the end table, yanked the front door open and closed it behind him. If he didn't get there and fast, he could miss him. And that was last thing he needed. Jason hopped into his SUV, shoved the key into the ignition and pressed his foot on the gas. He could feel the anger start to boil within him as his fingers gripped tightly on the steering wheel. He looked into his rearview mirror for a second before doing a double take. Jason immediately pressed hard on the break, and turned in his seat to look behind him. It was Lila's Tinkerbell doll lying in the seat, and then realization dawned on him. He had left Lila home alone, if she woke up and found that he wasn't there she was going to be very upset.

"SHIT!" Jason yelled profanities all the way home. As soon as he put the car in park, he jumped out, closed the door behind him and ran to the house. When he walked into the living room she was right where he had left her. He could feel the guilt stabbing at his heart as he knelt beside her and ran his hand through his daughter's hair. Trying his best not to disturb her, he placed a kiss on her forehead before picking Lila up gently and cradling her close to his chest.

"Daddy is so sorry princess." Jason whispered against her hair before pecking her temple. He carried her quietly to his car. Jason placed Lila in the back seat and buckled her in as gently as he possibly could, without disturbing her from her sleep. He climbed into the driver seat, started up the car and pulled out of the driveway. It was too late, to disturb his parent's, and the last thing he needed was a 24 question interrogation. He knew where he had to take her, and he knew the consequences he would suffer from it. Sam wouldn't forgive him for this…and he knew he was going back on his promise. But he had to fix something that couldn't be stalled any longer.

"You are aware that it's Saturday right?" Sam asked when she saw Jason on her doorstep.

"Sam…please don't start." Jason whispered, as he walked into the house cradling a sleeping Lila in his arms. Sam followed closely behind him and watched as he gently placed Lila into her bed and tucked her in.

"Don't start…don't start… a few months ago you promised, you wouldn't—"

"I know what I said…alright." Jason's voice raised slightly causing Sam to flinch. His eyes caught her hurt ones and he immediately felt guilty. His anger and frustration wasn't towards her it was more towards himself and the person that he was anxiously trying to get to. He let out a loud frustrated sigh before adding. "But…business came up Sam, it's something important." Jason avoided her disapproving glares that she was sending him.

"More important than spending time with our daughter?" Sam asked as she stared at him. She could feel the anger and disappointment slowly building.

"Sam…" And there he went with that soft apologetic voice, the voice that pacified her whenever he broke his promises. She knew his apologies were sincere but it didn't stop him from doing it all over again.

"It's can't wait till Monday or even Sunday Jason?" Sam asked with a strained voice. Jason continued to avoid making eye contact with her. He knew if his eyes met hers, he would break easily give in and confess why he had to leave and why it was important that he handle it tonight because he may never get the chance to fix the situation.

"I'm sorry…" Jason glanced up at her briefly before walking towards the door, with Sam quick on his heels.

"You say that all the time Jason… all the time… it's getting to the point where sorry doesn't even have a meaning anymore… and neither does your promises."

"Sam." Jason let out a sigh as he turned around to face her. He wish he could tell her…tell her what was going on but he had to know for sure...if the information he has was true.

"No…" She said defiantly, she wasn't going to stand there and allow him to leave with no explanation. She refused to hold her tongue this time. "Do you even know what it means to be sorry…or what it means to make a promise, Jason?" Sam held her hand up stopping him from answering. "Sorry means never doing it again, and making a promise means making a commitment to something and sticking to it. Not breaking it whenever it's convenient for you." Jason stared into her blazing eyes and knew she was more hurt than angry with him, and he could feel the guilt weighing heavy on his heart.

"I said that I'm sorry." Jason said as he yanked the front door open and stepped outside. There was nothing left for him to say or do the damage was already done. Sam stood behind the middle of the threshold and crossed her arms over her chest protectively.

"I heard you the first time." He looked at her finally.

"I'll pick her up tomorrow…at 10:30 okay." Jason's eyes were pleading for her to understand. She quickly looked down and became interested with the wood floor.

"Fine…whatever." Sam said with a shrug, before slowly looking up from the floor and stared at him.

"Make sure you tell her that." She nodded her head in response before closing the door behind him. Sam closed her eyes as she leaned her back against the door, and let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. When she got confirmation that Jason had left the tears finally fell free, and she felt her body shaking uncontrollably. She wasn't even sure why she was crying or why she was so upset. She wasn't sure if it was guilt or disappointment. Apart of her thinks she had overreacted, while the other part felt like she had every right to be, he broke his promises once again. Things had been going so well, up until yesterday when he was a half an hour late, but he still showed up and that was all that counted. But cutting time short with Lila for work that could wait until next week, some things never changed. Sam rolled her glossy eyes before quickly wiping away the remaining tears and quietly tip-toeing to Lila's room to check up on her daughter. She was thankfully still sound asleep, snuggling with her Tinkerbell doll. She closed the door a crack, before turning off all of the lights, locking the front door and heading towards her room to call the one person she knew who could calm her down.

"Hello." Maxie asked breathlessly. Sam removed the phone from her ear to stare at it in confusion, before realization hit her.

"Oh please tell me I'm not interrupting…something." Sam replied horrifically as she ran her hand across her forehead and down her face.

"You are…" Maxie said with a giggle. Sam rolled her eyes, so much for her distraction.

"I'm sorry…I'll call you tomorrow." Sam rambled quickly just as she was about to press 'end', she heard Maxie's voice yell '_NO_'.

"Oh, no you don't… Jeremy leave, Sam start talking." Maxie instructed.

"Honestly Maxie it's not that important."

"Sam… not once in our friendship have you ever called me in the middle of the night, not once. Which means that it is something urgent and important…sex can wait." A small genuine smile tugged at Sam's lips as she began pulling at a stray strand of thread from her comforter, unsure of how she was to present the topic.

"Thank you…just give me a second to erase the image of you…receiving pleasure okay." A nervous laugh escaped Sam's lips as she continued playing with the strand of thread.

"Take your time." Maxie said softly and patiently.

"Remember that conversation we had the other night about me and Jason?" Talking about Jason always made her uncomfortable. It was probably from the unhealed wounds that were left over from their relationship. And each time that he disappointed her, it added more pain to the already sore wounds.

"Yea…." Maxie replied slowly. Sam closed her eyes, she couldn't do it. Why was it so difficult to discuss her feelings about Jason?

"I'm starting to think that dating may just be the right idea." It was a lie and Sam knew it…she was hoping she sound convincing.

"Yes finally, this calls for a shopping spree, you'll need some sexy dresses to show off that killer body of yours. "Ooh and I know the best hair stylist, and I can do your make-up and …. Wait… that's not the real reason you called me is it?" Maxie didn't give Sam a chance to answer. "What caused you to change your mind so suddenly?" Her friend asked curiously.

"I'm not going to go into details." If she did she'd just start crying all over again. "But I will say Jason just proved to me that he's never going to change, and I realized that hope was the reason I was holding on. Now that I know that he still puts work before me and Lila…" Sam took a deep breath before exhaling loudly. "I just… don't want to be disappointed anymore." Sam said as she closed her eyes and allowed one last tear to fall, before vowing to never cry over Jason, ever again. And what they had, she will always treasure, but she needed to move on.

Jason shut off the engine of his car and stared up at the hotel in front of him. His mind kept trailing back to the argument he had with Sam. He should have explained, he should have told her just how important it was for him to leave Lila, but he didn't have enough information to argue his point. He pulled out his cell and dialed the familiar number.

"I'm here…but I want you to stay on him, because I have a feeling he will leave after I do. Thank you." Jason shut the phone closed before shoving it back into his pants pocket. He closed his eyes briefly and let out a long exasperated sigh before reluctantly climbing out of his car and headed towards the entrance of the Metro Court. Jason gave a fake smile and a wave to the bellhop before walking pass the receptionist desk and heading straight for the elevators. As soon as he got on, he pressed the button for his floor and waited patiently as the elevator ascended. When it finally stopped, he looked up and saw that it wasn't his floor. The doors open, a man greeted Jason with a nod, before walking onto into the elevator. Neither of them spoke as the stranger placed his hands behind his back. Jason looked over at the guy. They made eye contact briefly, before the guy looked behind him. Jason brought his attention back to the glowing numbers in front of him, before placing his hands behind his back. Just as he did, the man placed the keycard in his palm, and Jason got off as soon as the doors opened. He kept his hands close to his thigh to hide the device, as he walked down the hallway in the direction of his brother's room.

He didn't bother knocking. He slipped the keycard quietly in and out before letting himself in. The living room was dark, but a light down the hall lit up that corner of the apartment. Jason walked cautiously down the hall before poking his head into what appeared to be AJ's bedroom. He knocked on the door, making his presence known. AJ didn't turn around to acknowledge him, he kept his back towards him as he button up his shirt.

"AJ…we need to talk." Jason walked fully into the room, to stand his ground. He wasn't about to let his brother get out of this conversation.

"Not now little brother…I have some business to handle." AJ said as he adjusted his tie and ran his hands over his suit.

"With…who?" Jason already knew who, that was the whole point in hiring a private investigator.

"It doesn't concern you." AJ walked passed him, out of the room and in the direction of the study with Jason close behind him.

"With…another company that you're illegally selling narcotics to?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." AJ said as he began placing files into folders.

"Ah come on the jig is up AJ, I know about the side deals you've been doing, the money you've been taking from ELQ, the bank accounts, the 'secret trips'. Truth is you never left Port Charles. You were here…managing your side business the whole time."

"So what are you going to do?" His older brother asked with boredom as he adjusted his cufflink.

"It's not what I'm going to do… it's what you're gonna do. You're gonna tell grandfather about your little side business that you got going on. And you're gonna pay back the money that you've taken from this company." Jason said as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared down AJ. Jason knew his threat, more like a demand, was farfetched. AJ wasn't one to take orders or much less be threatened. There was a long eerie silence that began to fill the room with overwhelming tension. Neither one of them spoke, just stood there glaring at each other, until AJ's stone face was replaced with a smug smile, causing Jason to raise his eye brow in suspicion.

"You know baby brother…you're right I should tell grandfather." Jason eyed AJ skeptically. Even with their parent's separation, he knew his brother long enough, to know that he wasn't the type of person to give in that easily. Hell AJ allowed him to break his own arm instead of giving in, and saying uncle. He also knew that smile all too well, and AJ only used it when he was up to no good or either had something up his sleeve. "I should tell him that it is you that is stealing from him and betraying ELQ." AJ said with a dark mischievous smile, which grew wider when he noticed Jason's confusion.

"But I'm not…"

"Oh yes…you are…" AJ said in a matter-of-fact, tone. "Funny thing about it is, the trail I left behind was well a cover up really." It finally dawned on Jason where AJ was going with his plan, and the secret he had up his sleeve involved framing him for his crime. "See… I've taken the liberty of using your identity for my… side work. As you can see it comes in handy for situations… such as these." Jason could feel his blood boil, as his mind raced.

"You sneaky son of a bitch."

"Well not sneaky enough if you were able to find out." AJ said as he poured himself a glass. "Now that you know… would you consider… joining my side?" AJ asked before taking a long sip from his drink.

"The side that will cost me everything that I have worked for…no I think I'll pass." AJ shrugged and placed his drink on the desk behind him.

"Well, I tried, so I guess theres only one thing to do."

"And what's that?"

"You're gonna keep your mouth shut…or else you can say goodbye to your career, your family, and your freedom." Jason let out a dark laugh.

"If I was able to link you to the missing money, phony documents and stolen merchandise then what makes you think a smart detective won't do the same?"

"Haven't you ever heard money makes the world go round…besides if I can forge a few documents imagine all the other things I can do to make you appear as the culprit." "So again… I say brother how about it… join my side." When Jason didn't respond, his brother answered for him. "No…then your loss." AJ let out a chuckle as he leaned back on his desk for a second before straightening up again.

"I can't sit quiet about this AJ."

"You can't… or you won't?"

"Both…." AJ raised his eye brow, before rolling his eyes. He picked up the signed baseball from the Yankee game off of its stand and began twirling it in his hand. Jason recognized the ball, because it originally was he who caught it. And AJ hated him for it. Edward and Alan boasted about him catching the ball every time the Yankees games came on. And AJ would always say 'If Jason hadn't been in the way, I would've would have caught the ball.' He didn't want any rift between him and his brother over a ball so, Jason gave it to him. In hopes that their relationship would grow stronger, however the ball only enforced the gap that was between them. His father always did know how to pin one against the other, making it a competition between the two.

"Suit yourself…I'm sure prison has a nice living space for people such as ourselves, with maids, friendly neighbors and gourmet food." AJ said as he eyed the baseball in his hands. "Oh and speaking of prison, which is where you'll end up…your beautiful ex wife is going to need a shoulder to lean on and seeing as how she is indeed single, I wouldn't mind being there." AJ said with a mischievous smile as he tossed the baseball back and forth in his hands before continuing. "To help her of course…in every way possible that is." AJ said with a smug smile. Jason didn't bother giving his brother a verbal response instead he allowed his fist to do the talking. All it took was one swing to AJ's jaw to knock his older brother off balance and make him stumble backwards onto the desk. He didn't give his brother time to defend himself. Jason jumped on him and continued to connect his fist with other parts of AJ's face, before wrapping his hands tightly around AJ's throat.

"If you ever think about putting your filthy hands on Sam or threatening me again I swear to god I'll…"

"You'll what…kill me?" AJ asked mockingly while gasping for breath.

"Killing you would be too damn easy and it sure as hell wouldn't be enough." Jason growled through clenched teeth before raising his fist and punching AJ again in the eye.

Sam had finally fallen asleep when she heard her door open, and the pitter patter of footsteps running into her room. Her eyes immediately snapped open and were met with tear streaked blue ones.

"You had another bad dream?" Sam asked her little girl, who nodded her head slowly in response, before climbing onto the bed and crawling into her mother's awaiting arms. She could feel her daughter's trembling body slowly calm, and release her grip around her mother's neck when Sam caressed her daughter's hair. "Everything is alright, momma's here. All the mean monsters can't hurt you when you're in my arms." She whispered gently into her daughter's ear.

"I'm not worried about the monsters hurting me mom…" Lila mumbled incoherently into Sam's shoulder. Sam tried to pull away to look at her, but Lila's grip tightened. She felt he heart break at the idea that something so awful could cause her daughter to be so terrified. Lila pulled away slowly to look at her mother.

"You want to tell me what the nightmare was about?" Sam asked her daughter sweetly. Lila immediately shook her head and held onto her mother tightly. "Lila…I can't face the monsters for you if I don't know what they're after." Sam began rubbing her daughter's back in another attempt to sooth her.

"They were trying to take you away from me." Lila sniffled. Sam cautiously pulled away to look at her daughter, who avoided contact with her.

"Look at me." Lila slowly stared up at her mother obediently. "No one…is going to separate us….I promise…no one will take you from me…okay sweetie?" Sam wiped away the stray tear that had fallen from her daughter's eye, and pulled Lila close to her. "I love you, angel." Sam whispered softly, before placing a kiss on her daughter's temple.

"I love you too momma." Lila said as she snuggled in closer to Sam, who had finally got her to settle in under the covers.

Jason examined himself in the mirror, blood was on his shirt and stained his hands. He stared at his reflection. He didn't recognize the man that was staring back at him. He had never taken a good long look at himself in over 12 years, and he didn't like what he saw. His mind kept repeating AJ's words in his head.

"_Oh and speaking of prison, which is where you'll end up…your beautiful ex wife is going to need a shoulder to lean on and seeing as how she is indeed single, I wouldn't mind being there. To help her of course…in every way possible that is." _Just the thought of his brother putting his filthy hands on Sam's body made him tremble with fury and hatred. Jason's hand griped the counter before groaning in pain. He ran his hands under the warm water and watch as the blood began to dissolve into the water. After he washed his hands and dried them, he glanced up at his reflection and did a double take. He didn't recognize the man in the mirror. It was as though he was seeing someone else entirely, the bags under his eyes from sleepless and restless nights, long hours of work and look where it lead him… He remembered a moment when he questioned…working at ELQ. Jason felt his mind slowly slip into the pass and replay the night that changed his world upside down.

**FLASHBACK**

_**March 2**__**nd**__**, 2005: House in Port Charles**_

_Jason stared up at ceiling of their bedroom, it had been one of those nights where he couldn't sleep. His mind kept thinking over every decision he had ever made, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had made a mistake. Working for his family, wasn't truly his decision…but was an expectation. It was an expectation that he still seems to not meet in his father's eyes. And yet he felt he should have rethought that decision_

"_What's wrong?"Jason peered down at Sam's sleeping face, her eyes were still closed. _

"_Nothing's wrong."Jason answered as he kissed the top of her head and draped his arm over her waist securely. _

"_Jason…I know you remember…"Yes she did, knew him better than he knew himself and it scared him sometimes._

"_But how did..."Jason had begun to ask but she cut him off._

"_Your body tenses when your thinking about something or trying to decide something, your breathing changed which is how I know you're still awake, then the beating of your heart changed, which means you're worried about something." Sam finally opened her eyes to look at him. "Now will you tell me what's wrong?"She lifted her head and rested her chin on his bare chest. He contemplated if he should tell her. After a second of debating he decided to get her opinion._

"_I think I might quit my job." Sam's eyebrows rose in shock and then knit together in confusion. "Do you think I should?" Sam sat up slowly and he followed her movement._

"_That has to be your decision."He knew that she was making him responsible of that decision. If it was his family members they would have decided it for him. "It's only been a year Jason…are you sure that's what you want to do?" She looked up from her hands, and the reflection of her wedding ring danced along the walls and ceiling. Reminding him that this decision was not just his own, she and Lila were a big part of his life any decision that he made affected them too._

"_Sam we've started our life together…if my work interferes with us…. Then I want you to tell me."_

"_Jason I could never ask you to quit something that you love doing." He watched as she began twirling her ring and then her wedding band. "If you don't want to work at ELQ that has to be your decision." She finally looked at him. "But…if I asked you to quit…would you?"_

"_What would we do for money." He could never quit his job. But he could try and make sure it didn't take over their life. By the disappointed look he knew that wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. Money never seemed to be the issue for her. If he was poor she would still love him. But he could see the 'speculators' judging him for not being a decent husband and father. And he wouldn't feel like a man if he couldn't provide for his family…well that's what his dad had said anyway. He left his thoughts when he heard Sam's voice calling to him_

"_You could become a teacher…you love kids… your great with Lila."_

"_Yea…because that's my daughter…but then I'll be responsible for other people rugrats and you know I have low tolerance for rowdy kids."Sam nodded her head slowly."If I ask for lesser hours…they won't take me seriously…they won't me play in the big league."_

"_Why did your grandfather make you start from the bottom? You have plenty of experience, and you're credible."_

"_He wanted me to get the feel of earning my spot next to him instead of handing it to me."_

"_I guess that does make sense…"Jason scooted closer to his wife, and intertwined his hand in hers. _

"_Look I promise…that this won't affect our lives. Okay?" Sam nodded her head slowly before giving him a small smile in return. He placed her hands around his waist and he wrapped his arms around her in a strong embrace. "I love you."_

"_I love you too."Sam whispered into his ear and tightened her hands and pressed her body closer to his._

**END of FLASH BACK**

That had been the beginning of the end for them, that one promise lead to many more, and those were empty and broken before they had even left his mouth. He had been so consumed on proving himself to his family and to even himself that he was capable, and could be just as successful as the leading men in his life. But he never felt that way, and still to this day he felt he had so much to prove. Now as he had a moment to look back on what he lost and what he may lose forever. He realized that the only person he had to prove anything to was the one that had left his life two years ago. When she had warned him that the day would come when she wouldn't be there anymore…he prepared himself. He distanced and tricked himself into thinking that letting her go was best for her and him. One part of him, the part that felt like he had something to prove; the power hungry, workaholic, and egomaniac that had lost sight in the man he had wanted to be for Sam and himself…felt that she was holding him back. While the other part felt that she deserved someone who could give her everything that her hearts desired. Now that he would be gone…she could do just that. That was if he told Edward. Jason let out a loud sigh, and walked into his room. Jason kicked off his sneakers then tore off the bloodied shirt, before sliding out of his pants and climbing into his bed. He didn't bother pulling the blankets over him. His body was too exhausted to even but that idea into action.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: **Sunday**

Jason stared up at the ceiling, he hadn't gotten much sleep last night, the decisions he had to make weighed heavy on his mind and heart. If he said a word to Edward…then he could end up in jail. Even if he proved himself innocent, AJ fought dirty and as he said '_money makes the world go round.'_ But if he didn't say anything AJ would continue to milk the company for what it's worth and possibly use this blackmail to get whatever it was he wanted out of him. Or AJ might just go to Edward instead, show his grandfather fake documents to incriminate him. His mind fell back to Lila and Sam…he had lost so much time, missed out on so much of his family…for a job he still questioned. And now the situation with AJ…will not only destroy everything he has worked so hard to accomplish. But it will also take away his opportunity to build a relationship with his daughter. As for Sam…his heart still ached for her…his body still yearned for her touch…but he had done too much damage to even consider asking her to take him back, and he didn't expect her to. He knew that no apology could excuse his negligence or lack of sensitivity. Jason let out a groan of frustration as he sat up and leaned his back against the headboard.

"Just when things were going smoothly, something like this had to happen." He said to no one in particular while he ran his hands through his hair. Jason glanced down at the clock on his night stand. It was 8:30 am, he said he would see Lila today…and he planned to do just that.

"Lila wake up honey…your dad is going to be here in two hours." Sam said softly as she brushed back her little girl's hair from her face. Lila turned her head, away from Sam's hand and fell back into her slumber. Sam gently tapped her daughter on her shoulder, and continued attempts to wake her. Until finally she groggily woke up with a yawn. "Come on I know it's earlier than usual, but you want to spend time with him don't you?" Lila nodded in response as she began to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Okay, then you need to wake up and get ready." Sam quickly got up and began making the bed moving Lila to the other side to finish, before jogging to the kitchen and making breakfast.

"Is the food good, sweetie?" Lila looked up from her plate of eggs and bacon and nodded her head slowly. "Okay, I'm going to hop in the shower, if you hear a knock on the door, use your step stool to look through the peep hole and ask who is it. It should be Nana but remember safety…"

"Safety first." Lila said before Sam could finish. She gave a quick peck on the top of her daughter's head before heading back into her bedroom.

Thankfully she didn't have to get to work until 12:00 pm, seeing as how her ex had a problem with time she called her mother over to watch Lila until he finally did arrive, and who knew when that would be. Sam rolled her eyes before going into her adjoining bathroom and turning on the shower. Alexis arrived an half an hour later and sat in the living room patiently while Sam got Lila into the bath and then began getting prepared for work.

"Thanks so much for coming over on such short notice." Sam said with an appreciative smile as she sat next to her mother on the couch. "I can only imagine how angry Ric is for making me break another one of your lunch dates." She added while she slipped her feet into her white crocs.

"Sam he's not mad, if anything he can't wait to see Lila, and he asks about you girls all the time." Alexis replied.

"How are you two by the way?" Sam asked her mother curiously. Both Rick and Alexis were hard working lawyers, yet they seem to always have time for each other. Sam felt a pang of envy as she looked at her mother's glowing face.

"Were good...and happy, it's only been a year but I feel I can grow old with him." Sam remembered that feeling. She just hoped that it actually worked out for her mother. She quickly got up from the couch and began heading to the bathroom to check up on Lila. Every time she got that little girl in the tub, she would stay for hours, doing lord knows what.

"Jason should be by soon, he said 10:30 but…he never is on time." Sam said over her shoulder. She was pulling her hair into a pony tail, when she heard the doorbell ring. Sam eyes immediately looked at the clock on the cable box. 9:40 am, she wasn't expecting anybody. And she knew Maxie would never come over to her house without calling first, plus her friend was working the morning shift today. Alexis gave her a look which Sam returned with a shrug as she walked over towards the door and peered into the peep hole. She checked the peep hole again to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her, and to Sam's surprise they weren't. She quickly opened the door, and looked Jason up and down to make sure that he was real and she wasn't dreaming. If she's wasn't dreaming, she would have to mark this day down on her calendar.

"Hey." Jason said as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"You're early…earlier than the time you said you were coming." Sam said astounded, her eyes glued to Jason's face. Never had he ever been on time, yea in college but after working for ELQ he took on that fashionably late notion.

"Are you going to lecture me about being early now?" Jason asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. He never seemed to do anything right. He was more annoyed with himself instead of her reaction. _How did they get here?_ Jason asked himself. It was as if his brain had been asleep while someone else had taken over his body, and when he finally returned he saw the damage the other person left in his wake.

"No...It's just…no, come in." Sam said as she moved aside to allow him room to enter. She mouthed oh my god, before closing the door quickly behind him. She had to be dreaming, she had to be. Sam reluctantly turned around to find him still standing in her hallway. Her eyes racked over his body in complete shock, she wasn't dreaming at all.

"Is there a reason why you're staring at me?" Jason teased as he raised a curious eyebrow. Sam quickly shook her head in attempt to wake her brain up and get it functioning again.

"I just can't believe you came early." She cleared her voice and began walking in front of him into the living room.

"Well I heard that when you're on time you're late and when you're early you're on time." _A slogan he definitely didn't follow. _Sam thought to herself.

"A motto you clearly do not follow." Alexis replied pointedly. _What could she say, she is her mother's daughter._ Sam glared at Alexis and mouthed 'be nice.' Still to this day her mother never accepted Jason, and still to this day she never said why. Every time she would ask, Alexis would say _'there's just something about him, that I don't like.'_ And it wasn't as though Sam had told her mother of the problems in her marriage. If she would have told Alexis, then she would have a good enough reason to dislike him, other than the fact that '_something about him seemed fishy'_ as she would say.

"Alexis…how rude of me not to acknowledge you." Jason replied sarcastically as he gave a fake wide smile in Sam's mother's direction. Alexis returned a similar gesture before bringing her attention to her daughter.

"Honey, do you need me to stay?" Sam's mother asked as she stood up from the couch and began walking towards her.

"Oh… um… no it's okay, thank you though…mom." Sam said as she walked her mother in the direction of the door.

"Okay sweetie I'll talk to you later." Alexis placed a kiss on Sam's forehead before staring at Jason blankly. "Jason…" Alexis nodded.

"Alexis." She didn't bother waving goodbye to him she walked out of the door and within five minutes they heard her car pull off. There was a long awkward silence that filled the air, for a good minute, it was Sam who spoke first.

"Lila should be done with her bath… you know where everything is and lock the door on your way out, okay." Sam said as she avoided eye contact and headed towards the door.

"Sam..." Jason called after, she stopped in her tracks. "I feel like I should explain why…I dropped Lila off last night." He watched as her shoulders tensed.

"It's okay… really, it was important business that you had to take care of…I understand." Sam said as she barely looked over her shoulder. "Make sure you lock up okay, tell Lila I love her." Sam whispered before quickly opening the door and closing it behind her. He let a loud sigh before going to check up on his daughter.

Jason couldn't remember a time when he had laughed or smiled so much. His daughter's innocence and imagination astounded him, how such a small person could create a world of her own. She was only 7 years old, but her spirit felt much older. After they practiced soccer for two hours, they had lunch while they worked on her homework. Which Lila didn't need much help on. He took her to the Bronx Zoo and then the Aquarium, and just watched her interact with the animals. Talk to them as though they understood what she was saying. Even though the situation with AJ had opened his eyes, it was spending the day with Lila that made him realize how much he had taken for granted… and how much he had missed out on. Now as the day came to a close…he couldn't help but regret how unappreciative he was of the life he once had. Jason looked down at his daughter, who sat snuggly within his arms, her small hands rested on top of his. He could feel his heart swell with the unconditional love that he had when he felt her kick, while she was in Sam's womb. He always loved his family, but because he lost sight of what was important, it caused him to miss a big part of her life.

"Okay it is time to go to bed." Jason crouched down and allowed Lila to climb up on to his back, when she was secured, he then walked in the direction towards her room.

"Can you read me a story." Lila asked as Jason allowed her to jump from his back and on to her bed.

"If I do, you have to go to bed after wards okay?" Lila nodded her head as he tucked her in.

"Alright…what story shall I read?" Jason handed her the pile of books from the bookcase and watched as she shook her head while skimming through them. "At this rate I don't think I'll be reading any story Lila." Jason teased before tickling her under her chin. She let out a loud giggle.

"Dad." Lila pushed his hand away, a wide smile still present on her lips. "Fine then, tell me how you and mom met." Jason remembered that day like it was just yesterday. "Was it love at first sight?" Her bright blue eyes sparkled as she stared up at him.

"It was anything but love, at first sight." Jason replied with a chuckle as he felt his mind slowly falling back into the past.

_**FLASHBACK SCENE **_

_**September 6th, 1999University of Vermont: Parking Lot**_

_It was the start of his 2__nd__ year at U.V.M he was somewhat excited to be back at the college, to get away from his family once again. After his summer interning at ELQ, he wondered why he was even bothering going to school for business. He knew it like the back of his hand, and it sent chills up his spine every time he watched his Grandfather close a deal. But as much as he loved the feeling of power and the confidence that he received from having knowledge on business and marketing, he still hated it at the same time. The pressure, expectations, the stress…and though it came with these issues he still found himself addicted to it. Jason's mind was off in another world. So he didn't see the car swerve in front of him and steal the space he had intended on parking. _

"_What the hell?"Jason shouted as he slammed on the breaks. But it was too late, the drivers car had already connected with the front part of his car, scraping along his left headlight. Jason march over to her._

"_You're telling me, your stupid car scratched up my baby." Sam yelled as she pointed to the large rugged scratch on her red 1993 protégé mazda. _

"_Well your piece of crap mazda just put a dent in my car and nearly took off the left headlight."_

"_I'm still trying to see how this is my fault."Sam placed her hands on her hips as she glared at him._

"_You cannot be serious."Jason let out a laugh of disbelief while he shook his head in shock._

"_I was the one paying attention buddy, you weren't."Sam said before she crossed her arms over her chest. __**And that makes it okay?**__ Jason asked himself._

"_That still doesn't change the fact that you put a dent in my car." Jason said through clenched teeth. He was having difficulty keeping his anger and annoyance under control._

"_From the looks of it…you have insurance…let them handle it, alright."Sam gave a roll of her eyes before turning on her heel and walking away. __**What did she mean from the looks of it?**__ Jason asked himself, as he turned to look at his car briefly before looking back in the girl's direction. She was gone, Jason shook the thought away and rushed off to his first class that he was already five minutes late to. He knew the professor, and the man would not be all too happy to see Jason arrive late. After his second class, he had time to kill so he went into the library to start early on the homework assignment that was due next week. He was 20 minutes into his homework when he felt a tape on his shoulder._

"_Hey there stranger." Courtney said when Jason turned around. She gave him a long wet kiss. Which he wanted to wipe off his mouth, but felt it would be rude to do it in front of her. "Haven't heard from you in awhile."_

"_Communication goes both ways Court…and I've left you plenty of messages…and always answered when you called." She rolled her eyes at his insinuations, that the reason for his 'sudden distance' was more her fault then his._

"_Can we not fight now…we just got back…and I wanna catch up." Courtney said as she bit her bottom lip flirtatiously. He knew what she meant by catch up. They would catch up alright…he was ending this before it got worse._

"_Sure…" Jason said as she pecked him on the lips._

"_I'm done for the day so come by when you get out of class." Jason nodded his head and gave her a wave before turning back to his computer and finished the last of his homework. When his free time was over he went to his last class, and then headed towards Courtney's dorm room. When he knocked on the door, no one answered, and he knew that meant either the door was unlocked or Courtney stepped out for a minute. He turned the knob and it miraculously opened. Jason stepped into the room, he could hear the sound of the shower running. He figured she would be in there for a while, so now was the best time to prepare for what he was going to say. He couldn't decide if he wanted to ease into the conversation or just get it over with, quick and easy like ripping off a band aid. __**This was going to be a difficult conversation if she was standing in a towel.**__ Jason thought to himself when he heard the water suddenly turn off. He took a deep breath , he decided he was going to go into this head first. The sound of the bathroom door opened and he quickly got up from her bed._

"_Courtney… look I think we should see other people." Jason said as he looked up from the ground. "Oh….wow…you're definitely not Court." He stared at a shocked, Sam dripping wet with a towel barely covering her._

"_What the hell?"Sam shouted as she tightened the towel that was wrapped around her naked body. "Are you stalking me now?"Jason stared at her confused, his eyes every now and again looking at her covered chest._

"_Stalking you…no..."He replied defensively. Hell he had forgotten all about her a few hours ago._

"_Then what, you came to find me because you desperately want your money for the dent in your car?"Sam threw another question at him._

"_Okay can you stop throwing assumptions…I didn't know you dormed here…my girlfriend." Jason paused as he thought of the label of his present relationship. "Is your room mate." He added before continuing with his train of thought. Courtney was soon to be his ex girlfriend. With the summer break that they had, they didn't really keep in touch. And his mind was focused more on his future than on the relationship that he had with Courtney. Now with the beginning of the new semester, he wasn't sure if he still wanted to be in the relationship. He needed to put all of his focus on himself, and maintain his name on the president's list. _

"_Well obviously she's not here… so if you don't mind." Sam pointed to the door and gave him a tight lip smile. _

"_Fine…whatever, can you just tell her that…I stopped by?" Jason said over his shoulder as he headed towards the door, with Sam right behind him._

"_Hey…next time you knock…and if no one answers then don't take it as an invitation to just let yourself in." Sam lectured before closing the door on his face. Jason rolled his eyes and imitated Sam before turning around and heading towards his dorm room. That wasn't the last he saw of his ex wife, turned out that he would be seeing her every Tuesdays and Thursday from 9am-11:30 am for Statistics. Even then she still didn't speak to him or even look his way. It was when they were forced to partner up for a project in that said class, that they realized they had similar views on life, and similar tastes in music. He wouldn't say they were inseparable, until the two months after that. They hung out more often, spent a good portion of their time at the student lounge, his room or the library. And the more time he spent with her and got to know her, the more he liked her and admired her._

_**December 12th, 2000 University of Vermont: Park**_

_After a month, a week and five days, there was finally snow. While most people whined about the cold weather and the freezing snow, Sam was acting like a little kid on Christmas Morning. She was jumping up and down, as she pointed outside the window._

"_Look Jason…it finally snowed." Sam exclaimed as she ran past him and started looking through her closet. When she turned around to face him, she had her snow boots and black parka draped over her arm. He watched as she slid her feet into the big snow boots that came up to her calves. Then she pulled on her parka and put her hands in her gloves. _

"_Wait Sam…you shouldn't leave without a hat." Jason said as he put on one of his beanie caps, folding the left over fabric._

"_You aren't going to come with me?" Sam asked as she wrapped a scarp around her neck loosely._

"_Snow isn't really my thing." Jason said as he walked back to Sam's bed and picked up the magazine he was originally reading. _

"_Oh no you don't Quartermaine…you're coming with me… whether you like it or not." Sam said with a smirk. And as usual…Sam got her way. Though they had started off on the wrong foot in the beginning, they gave each other a chance and got to know one another. And though it only had been a year now, Jason could honestly say that Sam was one of the friends he never had; honest, care-free, head strong, and brave. There were more words to describe her, hell he could write a book about it, but that would probably take all of eternity. After having a small snow ball fight on the campus, they walked to the small student park located north of UVM College, and sat on a hill, a few feet from a frozen pond._

"_I've been here for two years…and I've never seen you before."Jason said as he looked over at Sam._

"_It's a big school."She replied with a chuckle as she continued to flap her arms against the snow, making half of a snow angel._

"_No…I would have remembered your face."He saw a small smile began to rise on her lips, as she turned to stare at him before turning her attention towards the stars. Jason did the same, he watched as each star twinkled in the dark navy sky._

"_I transferred here from Harvard."He turned his head quickly to look at her, she was just full of surprises. _

"_You went to Harvard Law School?" Jason asked as he sat up, Sam began to do the same._

"_Yes…I did…but I didn't do so well and my heart wasn't in it. I was only there to please my mom...to make her proud. Until I realized me making her proud was taking away my freedom, my choices and happiness." Her story reminded him of his…his life was already planned out by the age of five. He didn't get a chance to choose or think of other options. His father either said medical school or the family business. And Jason didn't want someone's life in his hands or someone's death on his conscious, so he chose something he thought would be easier. But it wasn't, especially if you have your father breathing down your neck at every turn and on every decision._

"_How did your mom react when you told her about wanting to switch careers?" _

"_We aren't on speaking terms as of now." Sam glanced down at her hands briefly, before looking back up at him. It wasn't a smile, but it wasn't a frown either. He watched as she hugged her knees to her chest and stared at the frozen pond a few feet away from them. From the looks of it, it hurt her to know that her mother was reacting in such a way. Jason had thought of not doing business too, but after being prepped for it since he was in junior high, that was all he knew. And if he was to go through with leaving UVM and doing something else, his father would react worse than Sam's mother. Even when Jason does everything that his father asks of him, expects of him, and then some…it still is never enough._

"_And how do you feel about that?"Jason asked curiously. He wanted to know how she was able to get passed the feeling of her mother's disappointment. Sam shrugged as she looked at him briefly before turning her attention back to the frozen lake. _

"_I know that she loves me…and wants the best for me…but at the end of the day…it's my life and I get to have control over it not my mother or anyone else." Jason was envious of her, that she could be so confident and aware of who she was. He still was trying to figure that part out and as for control over his life he didn't have much of that. Each choice he made was under the influence of his family or based on the outcome and reaction of his family. He never did anything to please himself or make himself happy. _

"_I envy you…You had the courage, the faith and belief, to do something that many cowardly people are too afraid to do." Jason mumbled as he began playing with the snow in front of him._

"_You sound like you speak from experience."Sam said softly as she rested her head on her knee caps and looked at him._

"_I do." Jason replied while he nodded his head slowly. "Would you believe me if I told you that…I am intimidated by you?That…I have never had to try so hard to earn a person's respect?" __**Well one that is a female or relative that is. **__Jason thought to himself. He couldn't believe he was admitting feelings…he never did that before. There was something about her that made him feel like his emotions were accepted, and respected. But most of all he felt he could trust her. Trust…was something he didn't give out easily. _

"_So you like me because I'm the first person that said no?"Sam asked as she eyed him curiously. Her eyebrow was raised and half a smirk was present on her full lips._

"_It's more to it than that. You challenge me…I mean I'm used to challenging myself and pushing myself but as for everyone else well they expect that. You're not expecting me to be someone that I may not be. But at the same time…you're making me attempt to be…the person that I would hope and like to be, in the future."He saw her blush and look away from his intense stare briefly before bring her attention back to him._

"_And who is that guy…that you hope to be?"Sam asked as she rested her chin on her knees._

"_I hope to be the guy who can think for himself, have confidence and believe in himself. Know who he is and try not to live up to others expectations, but to his own. The guy I want to be…will put his family first…which my father never did…" Jason answered, he had been_

"_You will be…but my guess is…you already are." Sam said softly. Jason stared at her and he felt his heart flutter. It still surprised him how strongly he felt for her within only one year of knowing her. But falling for her had been that easy. From her care-free persona, her heart of gold and the strength that she conveyed. It was hard not to fall for her, even harder not to kiss her or tell her how he felt. He didn't want to lose their friendship but he also didn't want to miss the opportunity at building something more than that._

"_You're a rare Jem Sam, rough around the edges, but exotically beautiful when you take a closer look..."Back then it had been so easy for him to express his feelings to her. He can't remember why he had stopped. Jason moved closer towards her, and Sam began to do the same._

"_Go on."She replied encouragingly her smirk spreading fully. _

"_You are extremely independent, which I find incredibly sexy. You think for yourself, and like to take daring risks." _

"_Go on." Sam said as she moved closer, her eyes never leaving his, a mischievous smirk spread across her face._

"_And you have the most amazing and intelligent mind I have ever seen."_

"_Go on."_

"_And I would really…truly...like to kiss you right now."Jason looked deeply into her dark brown eyes and saw behind that shield of confidence was anxiousness and fear with a hint of thrill. The same feelings that were coursing through his veins and pumping in his heart, a feeling he had never experienced before. _

"_Is that a question?"Sam teased as she slide her arms around his neck and moved her body closer, making it clear that he had her permission. _

_Jason pressed his forehead onto hers while whispering huskily. "No." Before claiming her lips and wrapping his arms around her waist securely, so she couldn't pull away. But she didn't, Sam opened her mouth wider to allow his tongue access, and his heart began beating faster. The rush he felt was unlike any other and he knew that it wasn't lust or just fatal attraction. It was more than that. _

**END of FLASHBACK**

From that moment on his heart belonged to Sam, and still to this day that hadn't changed. The only thing that did change was himself. Jason's eyes glanced down at Lila's face. She had fallen fast asleep. Spending time with his daughter was the best therapeutic thing ever, being in her presence made him forget all the problems and decisions that he still had to face. He took a moment to stare at his daughter's peaceful face. He didn't know what he would do if he lost her. But what he did know was that he refused to lose another person that he loved. Jason leaned down and kissed Lila's cheek before pushing a few stray strands of hair from her angelic face.

Sam could feel the stress from her argument she had with Jason the other night and the awkward interaction she had with him this morning disappear, as she climbed out of car and stared up at her house. She felt a feeling of peace and contentment, from knowing that her home was her safe haven from the outside world. Sam unlocked the front door and walked in silently, her feet screaming in pain with each step that she took. She couldn't wait to get out of her scrubs and to get into a hot warm bath. Her thoughts were put on hold, when she saw her ex emerge from their daughter's room.

"Hey" Sam stared at him confused on why he was here, early, again. She didn't expect them until later.

"Lila is fed, she is bathed, and her homework has been looked over, so you have nothing to worry about." She couldn't remember a time when Jason was home early, taking care of their daughter. When Lila was first born of course, but when she got older and he moved up in the ranks at ELQ. Well let's just say her happy ending didn't come. Sam had been so engrossed with her thoughts, that she didn't realize she had been staring so intensely at Jason. "Plus seeing as how tomorrow is her last day at school, you have less to worry about now." Well he was wrong about that one. The summer was always harder than the school year, mainly because it involved getting a babysitter. And seeing as how Kristina is away at college, Sam wouldn't have anyone to watch Lila during the days she worked long hour shifts.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked concern consuming his voice and forming on his features. She nodded her head slowly, before blinking her eyes. She could feel the sliver of guilt from the argument they had yesterday, suddenly rising. Sam let out a loud sigh before finally speaking.

"Look about yesterday I—" Jason cut her off before she could finish.

"You were right…I made a promise, to put Lila before work and I broke that promise." Sam didn't know what to say, she was shocked. She wasn't sure if the shock was from the fact that he admitted that she was right or the fact that he wasn't making up a lame excuse to justify his action.

"Still, I ...overreacted." She had, she was more disappointed and hurt then angry at him, yesterday.

"You had every right to." Sam gave a small smile before walking in the direction of her room. She stopped when she heard Jason clear his throat. Sam turned around slowly to face him. "Now that I've apologized, will you let me explain, why I had to drop Lila off yesterday?" This was a new one…something was definitely wrong….this wasn't the Jason she had come to know over the past few years of their marriage that had gone sour. This was the Jason she had met in college. Well, a glimpse of him anyway.

"Jason you don't have to…" Though a part of her wanted to know, another part didn't want to be bothered. She honestly could care-less about what was going on at ELQ, as long as he knew that he was in the wrong and that he apologized, then she could move past it. And hopefully she could see the real Jason return, not the robot edition.

"No, I do Sam, you deserve an explanation." By the sound of his voice, there was no getting out of this conversation. She nodded her head slowly and mouthed okay before walking back into the living room and sitting on the couch. He didn't speak at first his mind seemed to have been in another place.

"Is…everything alright?" Sam asked as she moved closer to him, giving him his space but staying close just in case he needed her support.

"AJ…has been stealing money and selling narcotics to some company."

"How did you find out it was AJ?"

"Well I caught on first when I noticed shipment of our narcotics did not arrive on time to a few of the companies that we have been in business with. The shipment had an unauthorized delay, but supposedly 'Edward' called in and gave the okay. When the shipment did arrive, it was missing some packages of narcotics. Yet in the inventory we write down the amount that is delivered and the amount that is received, it all added up, there is no error. That threw me off until I realized that money was adding up incorrectly, we had decreased in our scores that has never happened in the past 10 years." Sam's mind began putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

"That's where you went last night?" Jason nodded his head before responding.

"Yes…I knew if I would have waited until Sunday or even Monday that he would have been gone before I could even confront him about it. If I thought that he would have been here longer than I wouldn't have ended my week with Lila…and I wouldn't have gone back on my promise." She didn't speak she sat there silently and allowed him to continue. "I was trying to decide if I should go to Edward."

"Jason, what AJ is doing is wrong, and to keep this from your grandfather…" She stopped herself. Sam knew Jason well enough, to know that he wouldn't sit on his hands and allow this to happen. Plus he wouldn't be sitting here deciding he would have called Edward the minute he found out this information. And by the tension that was rolling off of him in waves, there was more to the story that he wasn't telling her. "What aren't you telling me?" Sam asked firmly.

"I don't know if you should get involved."

"Jason…I'm already involved now that you've told me." Jason let out a frustrated sigh...this was being more complicated than he had hoped.

"I know…I know..I just didn't want you thinking that I didn't care or that I haven't been listening to what you've been saying about priorities and putting Lila first." Jason replied as he intertwined his fingers and stared at Sam briefly before looking down at the floor.

"Is it that bad?" He covered his face with both hands and let out a long exasperated sigh, before nodding his head. "Could it land you in prison?" Sam asked worry and fear consuming her voice. He nodded again as he his hands ran through his hair. "What are you going to do?"

"There's not much I can do Sam…I just have to find a way to fix it." She stared at Jason's hands and noticed the open wounds on his knuckles.

"What happened to your hand?" Sam asked as she scooted closer to him, to get a better look.

"It's nothing." Jason replied as he tried to hide it, but Sam stopped him. Her delicate small hands skimmed over his wounds gently and he flinched.

"Sure as hell doesn't look like nothing. " Sam replied as she scolded him, he avoided her glare. She rolled her eyes and let a frustrated sigh before adding. "And I'm sure you didn't even bother to clean it, let me go get my kit." Sam said as she got up from the couch and walked over to her kit that was lying on the kitchen counter. "Give me your hand." Sam said softly.

**FLASHBACK**

**October 16, 2001 University of Vermont: Sam's Dorm Room**

"_I can't believe you punched Geoffrey Johnson in the face."Sam said between laughs, while she closed the door behind them. You know what happened tonight is going to spread like wildfire." He shook his hand repeatedly hoping the pain would go away._

"_He had it coming."Jason replied through clenched teeth, his anger still reeling from the confrontation and he tried to pace back in forth in the little dorm room. But it wasn't helping much, he felt like a wild animal caged at the zoo._

"_Easy there incredible Hulk, the fight is over… you won." Sam said as she placed her hands on his tense shoulders and began caressing it firmly. "Come on take a deep breath…and just focus on my voice." Jason did as Sam instructed and then slowly he felt the tension dissolve. "Just to let you know…I could have defended myself."Sam said as Jason turned around to face her._

"_I know, but I just… I didn't like what he said or they way he treated you."He watched as Sam took off of her coat and draped it over the back of her chair._

"_The guy was drunk off of his ass, plus I think he didn't like getting beat by a girl at pool."Sam said as she smiled victoriously._

"_Still doesn't give him any reason to call you that…word." Jason couldn't bring himself to say it, it would just fuel the anger that was slowly starting to rise again._

"_Being called a thieving bitch wasn't the highlight of my night, but watching you sock Johnson in the jaw…definitely was." Sam said with a wide proud grin. "Though I do not condone violence I will let this slide seeing as how it was in my defense…also I was close to giving him a good punch myself, particularly in the nose." Sam said as she jabbed the air in front of her._

"_Which is why I took it upon myself to hit him for you, I didn't want you to risk your beautiful delicate hand."Jason said as he held up her hands and kissed both of them slowly. Sam's smile dropped when she noticed the opened wounds on his knuckles._

"_Give me your hand let me clean that up for you."Jason did as Sam had instructed. And watch as she gently pressed the puffy, red, and irritated skin that surrounded the blisters__. __He immediately winced.__ "Such a big baby." Sam teased Jason gave her a glare. as she opened her kit and began putting rubbing alcohol and then some ointment on it. When she finished wrapping his hand with the gauze she kissed each knuckle gently before saying. "There….now does that feel better." _

"_It does…but I know something else that would make me feel better."Jason picked Sam up, and she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. _

"_Really...and what's that?" Sam said between a fit of giggles. Without warning they fell onto her bed, she let out a loud laugh, and Jason found himself laughing too. The confrontation with Geoffrey Johnson now erased from his mind._

"_Do you still have that…nurse's costume from last Halloween?" Sam hit Jason on his shoulder, before pulling the collar of his shirt. _

"_Why…are you in need of medical care." Sam asked with a mischievous smile before capturing his lips. He never did get the chance to answer the question._

**END of FLASHBACK**

Jason watched as Sam cleaned each knuckle before placing ointment on it and then covering it with four small band aids. _Even back then when she was just starting to know me…the me that seconded guessed himself, the me that had a sense of humor…the me that was human… even then she took care of me. She deserves someone better…someone who doesn't rely on work to define who he is._ _She took risks she knew who she was…and she was okay with making mistakes, but he wasn't. He didn't know how to be._

"There we go all done." Sam replied with a stiff smile. She ran her thumb and index finger over the band aids to smooth out the creases. Her hand had lingered on his before suddenly moving away from his. "I still say you should have wrapped your hand in the medical gauze, but it's your choice." Sam rambled her eyes met his briefly before falling to the floor."It's getting late." Sam said as she picked up the wrappers, bloody cotton balls and started heading towards her kit to put away the supplies. Jason suddenly grabbed her hand, causing her to stop in her tracks. "Jason…what..." She didn't finish, she just watched in confusion as he pressed his forehead into the back of her hand. He felt her hand move away and rest on the top of his head causing him to lean his head on her waist. He could still smell that distinct scent of vanilla that her skin had, he inhaled briefly. He had missed that smell, and having it brought back to his senses only increased his desire to move closer, but he didn't.

"I can't…and I refuse to allow what is going on with me to affect you and Lila." Jason mumbled into her waist. The vibrations caused Sam's breath to hitch and a flutter to erupt in her heart. "And I wish I could tell you...what's going on…but I can't take that risk." Jason slowly stood. "I just…wanted you to know that." Sam nodded her head slowly as she stared into his eyes. She could feel his worry and other mixture of emotions pouring out of him.

"Okay." She whispered softly. He nodded his head, his eyes distant as though his mind was somewhere else now. Jason turned around and began walking towards the door when Sam heard her own voice call out to him. He stopped and looked at her. "I uh…..um…thank you…for telling me." She gave an appreciative smile which he returned before saying 'your welcome'. They stared at each other briefly until Jason quickly opened the door and left Sam standing there confused out of her mind.

"What in the hell just happened?" Sam asked herself as she placed her hand on her pounding heart.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

**Tuesday**

"Mr. Quartermaine, are you here?" Lucinda asked as she closed the door behind her. "AJ…?" She called out again before shrugging and placing her purse in the closet by the front door. Lucinda pulled her long chestnut hair into a bun, and then took out the cleaning products. After she had finished wiping down every inch of the kitchen and living room she headed down the hall to check out the other end of the penthouse. She didn't get very far, a horrendous and disturbing smell entered her nose and caused her stomach to grumble in discomfort. "Please tell me he didn't forget to flush again…" Lucinda groaned as she walked pass the study and headed into the master bathroom, covering her mouth along the way. "Ughh smells like his stomach didn't react to well to the thai food." When she turned on the lights, and checked the toilet, her eyes and stomach were relieved that it didn't discover anything floating. However what relieved Lucinda the most was that the revolting smell wasn't as harsh in the bathroom as it had been in the hallway. She raised a suspicious eyebrow before turning around and leaving the bathroom. When Lucinda entered the master bedroom, she scanned her surroundings and inhaled. The smell wasn't as strong in this room either. Lucinda shrugged away her curiosity she would find what was causing the smell, sooner or later. She brought her focus back to what needed to be done. She had forgotten to bring back the cleaning supplies but as she examined the bedroom nothing seemed like it needed much cleaning. But regardless if it didn't look as though someone had been here for a few days, she still had to do her job. Her thoughts were interrupted when she walked pass the study, she inhaled again, and felt her stomach lurch. The strong wreaking smell was coming from that room. Lucinda didn't have to walk all the way into the study to see where the repulsive smell was coming from. Her eyes widen as she stared into AJ's cold, dead ones. She let out a loud shriek before running out of the penthouse and headed to the receptionist desk to call the police. Within 30 minutes the police arrived on the crime scene.

**Tuesday 10:30 am**

"Where's the body?" Detective Rayner asked one of the police officers. They pointed down the hall before going back to dusting prints off of the door handle of the front door. When Rayner made it down the hall, he could smell the rotting corpse before he even stepped foot into the room. He covered his mouth and inhaled through his nose reluctantly. No matter how long he had been in law enforcement, the sights and smells always felt new and still disturbed him."What do we got Frank?" Detective Rayner asked the crime scene investigator, as he ducked under the yellow tape and began examining the scene in front of him. He then took off his shades and tucked them into the front pocket of his shirt before crouching down next to Frank. The man handed Rayner a pair of white rubber gloves and began filling him in on their present case.

"Alan James Quartermaine, also known as AJ." Frank handed the Detective the victim's wallet. "He died instantly, one shot to the head. But he did take a heavy beating, as you can see these contusions on his left cheek bone, eyes, jaw, and a possible broken nose. The victim also appears to have some bruises along his neck." Rayner examined the bruises on the young man's face and neck. Someone definitely did a number on the man…The Detective couldn't help but wonder what did their victim do to cause someone to go as far as killing him?

"Who found the body?" The Detective asked as he continued to examine the victim.

"AJ's personal maid Lucinda Martinez, she notified the receptionist who then called the PCPD, and you already know the end of that story." Rayner nodded his head slowly. The story ended with them, collecting the clues to find the killer.

"Was there any sign of forced entry?" Rayner asked as he stood up and began moving around in the small room that appeared to be a study. His eyes fell onto the mess on the desk, and his mind started thinking of different scenarios, that could have caused such disarray. The Detective examined the walls and a particular picture caught his eye. It was a painting of what he assumed the victim must've looked like without all the bruises. Rayner couldn't help but laugh on the inside. _The man was definitely full of himself_. The Detective said inwardly to himself.

"How long has he been dead?" Rayner asked as he turned to look at Frank, who was cleaning out the victim's finger nails and putting the excess waste into a small brown, envelope.

"It's been more than 48 hours. My guess is he was killed on Saturday or Sunday. We won't know for sure until we run a few tests." Frank reported while he took out his camera and began taking pictures of the dead body.

"Do we have any leads on who it may be… any clues the killer left behind?" Rayner asked as he watched other officers take pictures of parts of the study, where numbers had been placed.

"Well when we examine the body, we may find some of the killer's DNA, strand of hair maybe even their blood. The handy work that the killer did on this man's face had to have left some scars on his or her knuckles, maybe even sprained or broken the killer's hand. Rayner nodded his head before asking another question.

"Has anyone spoken to the staff or the neighbors?"

"Lucky is on it, as we speak." Frank answered.

"Good…call me when you have an idea on who our killer may be." Rayner said before cautiously walking out of the study and pulling out his cell phone. He dialed the PCPD, and after the first ring someone answered."This is Detective Rayner, send me the Quartermaine's address via phone text message. Thank you." As soon as he ended the call, the screen on his phone lit up informing him of a new message. He walked back into the hallway and in walked Officer Cruz.

"I need you to keep this information out of the media alright, anyone ask you questions, say that the investigation is private and you can not disclose of the information. I'm going to notify the family, if you find any more information or get any leads…ring me." Cruz nodded his head before heading to the backroom.

The Detective had punched in the directions on his GPS and made it to the Quartermaines house without any problems. Rayner stared up at the mansion in awe. Whoever killed AJ had a motive that revolved around money or something very close along those lines. He walked up the long cream colored stone steps, before finally reaching the large oak doors and ringing the doorbell. A maid greeted him and after he explained his reason for being there she allowed him to enter. She guided him to the living room and announced his presence. Both the victim's parents rose from the couch and he introduced himself.

"Hi...Mr. and Mrs. Quartermaine…my name is Detective Thomas Rayner." He shook both of their hands before taking a seat across from them on a nearby chair.

"Detective…are we in some kind of trouble?" Alan asked as he sat back down on the couch.

"No, sir you're in no trouble at all." Before he could speak again the Maid walked in with a tray of appetizers and three tall glasses, of what he could only assume was lemonade.

"Thank you Alice." Monica said. The woman smiled kindly before dismissing herself from the room.

"So what brings you by Detective?" Monica asked a hint of worry in her voice. This was the hardest part of his job. He watched as both parents squirmed uncomfortably, waiting to hear news that they could only presume wasn't good.

"I am sorry to inform you…that your son AJ, was killed between Saturday night and Sunday morning." His heart broke as he watched Mrs. Quartermaine's face turn as white as snow, and the fake smile vanish from her lips. An eerie silence and tension consumed the room.

"Excuse me." She suddenly got up from the sofa nearly falling, but Alan caught her. Rayner watched as Monica stumbled into the foyer with her husband right behind her. Even with the doors closed, he didn't have to guess what was going on. Rayner could hear Monica's wails, which suddenly became muffled. He gave the parents their space and time to grieve, and within 40 minutes they returned. Monica sat back down silently, her eyes focused on the carpeted floor beneath her feet, while her hands held onto the scrunched up tissue for dear life. It was Alan who spoke among the two.

"Are you sure it's our son?" Alan asked his voice strained as if he was trying to hold back a sob. The Detective could see the disbelief, the pain, the worry and fear all consuming the older man's features.

"Could we see him?" Monica asked before Rayner could answer Alan's question. A fresh set of tears began rolling down the slopes of her puffy cheeks.

"Yes… we are sure sir, we found his I.D. and drivers license in his pocket, and the receptionist informed us that it is indeed AJ's penthouse suit." The Detective looked over at Monica and added. "And yes Mrs. Quartermaine you may come by tomorrow to identify your son." Rayner handed her the card of the address and phone number for the morgue. The Detective knew he couldn't ask the Quartermaines any questions as of now, they needed time to grieve and come down from the shock. He would have to wait until they identified the victim at the morgue. As Rayner got up to leave, a large family portrait that was hanging over the fireplace caught his eye. The Detective walked closer towards it, to get a better look.

"AJ, has a brother?" Rayner asked suddenly, curiosity written all over his facial features as he looked over the other brother's face, he didn't see the resemblance between the two siblings. But he did see the connection to the mother and father. Just as he turned around to look at them, Mrs. Quartermaine answered his question.

"Uh yes, our youngest son Jason." Monica said with a sniffle, her eyes becoming teary once again. Rayner nodded his head slowly before glancing back at the picture curiously. Monica and Alan, walked him to the door, and he said his deepest apologies before saying good-bye and heading home. As soon as he entered his house, his phone rang and he answered on the first ring.

"Hey, you told me to call you when I got some leads on our killer. Well…Jasper Jacks the owner of the Metro Court Hotel, was willing to corporate with us." Cruz said getting straight down to business. Rayner didn't speak, he waited for Cruz to continue. "Uh yea so they have footage of who came in and out of the Hotel, and we have a few visitors that enter and left the victims penthouse.

"Alright get snap shots of these possible suspects and fax me the pictures…" Rayner said into the phone before closing it shut.

Jason was looking at a slideshow of Lila's last ballet recital. Sam had scanned the pictures from her camera, onto her computer then transferred them onto a CD for him and Alexis. He couldn't help but smile proudly at his talented daughter as the automatic slideshow flipped through several pictures of Lila twirling and dancing along with the other children. And then it ended with the three of them. Lila in the middle holding her ballet certificate, that all the children received for completing their first level of dance. Jason ran his hand over his daughter's face then Sam's, and then the slideshow cut off returning back to the main menu in Windows Media Player. He felt his phone vibrate in his pants pocket and quickly retrieved it without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" Jason asked as he clicked on the picture of him, Lila and Sam.

"Jason…you need to get over to the house…immediately" Edward said solemnly.

"Is everything alright?" Jason asked concern becoming evident in his voice as he looked away from the picture of his family on his laptop.

"Everything will be explained to you when you get here." Edward said before hanging up. He looked back at the picture of the three of them, before closing the laptop and grabbing his keys off of the desk. It didn't take him long to arrive to his parents house. Based on the sound of Edward's voice, Jason knew that whatever the reason was for him being summoned, wasn't a good one. He just hoped it didn't have to do with his grandmother, she had been having severe strokes lately, yet she has pulled through all of them. But still her chances of surviving another one were slim to none. Jason used his key to enter the house and walked into the quiet foyer. When he got close to the closed off living room, he could hear whispers, and his mother sobbing. He pushed the doors open, and everyone turned to face him. Edward, Tracy, his parents and even his Grandmother was there. So that ruled out the bad news about her being sick again. The only person whom was missing was AJ, which wasn't a surprise to Jason, he probably left right after their confrontation on Saturday, who knew where he could be right now.

"Jason..." Monica said breathlessly as she quickly got up from the couch and ran to him. He wrapped his arms around his mother, in confusion and held her tight as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Monica…let him sit down." Alan said with a frustrated sigh.

"What's going on…" He looked over his mother's shoulder and stared at everyone, but no one spoke. He felt his Monica slowly pull away. "Mom…are you okay?" Jason asked as he held onto her hands stopping her from walking away.

"Jason you should sit down." Alan instructed, Jason ignored his father and looked over at Edward who had tears running down his wrinkly aged face.

"Grandfather….what...what's going on?" Everyone in the room looked to the floor, while his mother let out another sob. "Can someone just." Jason's voice raised slightly before he got control over it, he was becoming frustrated. Everyone knew something that he didn't and it was irritating him. "Can someone just tell me…what's going on?" Jason asked to no one in particular. It was Tracy who answered him.

"AJ…was killed last weekend…the cops don't have any leads as of now…" Jason couldn't hear anything else after that. He felt nausea swirl in his stomach as his mind tried to process what had been said. Within a matter of seconds he went from shock, to disbelief, to sadness and then fear. After the overwhelming burden of emotions he was confused, worried and exhausted. Everyone talked amongst themselves, exchanging memoires of AJ, while Jason's mind continued to playback the night he visited his older brother. Each time someone spoke to him, he would give a incoherent response and in return they would leave him to continue to get lost in his thoughts_. How the hell am I going to get out of this one? _Jason asked himself. He heard his mother's voice call out to him.

"Are you going to be here for AJ's memorial this Friday?" Monica asked as she dabbed at her eyes with her tissue and then wiped her nose.

"Yea of course…and I will do anything I can, to help." Jason stayed for another hour before saying his good-byes to his family, and quickly rushing to his car. When he was finally secured in his SUV, he felt his heart beating double time with fear as his mind went over everything that happened last Saturday night. His fingerprints were in that house, on the door knob, on AJ's body. Jason stared down at his hand and ran his fingers over the slowly healing wounds, his mind reminding him of the blood he had washed off of his hands. The problem seemed to evolve into something he was not prepared for, not only could he not tell Edward, but there was a possibility the cops might look at him as a suspect. "FUCK." Jason screamed as he repeatedly punched his steering wheel with anger. He ran his hand through his hair and then tugged on it roughly. _I should have told Edward the moment I found out…the moment I was onto AJ, I should have told. Now I'm stuck in this mess_. Jason said to himself before letting out a frustrated groan. He took a deep breath in attempt to calm himself but he couldn't. The overwhelming waves of emotion kept washing over him. He could feel the hot tears of anger start to prickle at the back of his eyes. Jason quickly shook them away and covered his face with his hands as he took another deep breath. He gave himself a few minutes to gain control over the emotions that were coursing through his body, before starting the car and driving away from his parent's home.

Jason didn't expect to end up where he was now, sitting in his car outside of her house. But he was glad that he was, no one else knew about the trouble that he was in, and he sure as hell didn't trust anyone else enough to tell them. He got out of his car and closed the door behind him before walking up the driveway to the stairs. Sam opened the door on the first knock.

"Hey…" She said softly…the sound of her velvety voice filled his ears and the stress he felt vanished.

"I know it's late but I…I uh..." Jason voice trailed off, his eyes stayed glued to his feet. He shouldn't be here…he shouldn't be doing this to her…stirring up old feelings. Jason was about to apologize for being there and was going to tell her he had to go. But then Sam spoke before he could.

"Come inside." She said softly, Sam took his hand loosely, into her small one and guided him into the house, before closing the door behind them. Jason took a seat at the end of the couch and sat there quietly as Sam made her way over to join him.

"Is everything alright?" Where should he begin, AJ was dead…and he was still being blackmailed for his brother's embezzlement. He shook his head before answering her question.

"AJ is dead." Jason mumbled as he stared straight ahead, his mind traveling back to the few hours he had spent at his parent's house. He closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands before sighing loudly. _What's next?_ _What else could he be facing? _Jason asked himself.

"Oh my god…I'm so sorry…" Sam said sympathetically as she caressed his knee. He placed his hand on top of hers and held onto it for support, hoping that her touch would bring down the stress that was weighing heavily on his shoulders.

"I know this sounds bad, but…now that AJ isn't here to hold anything over your head…are you going tell Edward?" He knew what she was referring to, and that was what came to his mind first, but he already had made his decision not to tell.

"I can't, not with everything that is happening now." He felt Sam remove her hand from under his. And he immediately missed that worth, and strength he received just by the touch of her hand.

"Jason." She said with a stern disapproving voice. He knew where she was coming from, hell he would tell Edward right now, if he believed that it wouldn't come back and bite him in the ass.

"Sam I was there the night he was killed…my prints are in his apartment and on AJ's body, there is no way I'm getting out of this one." Jason said as he looked at her, his eyes pleading for her to understand.

"So what are you going to do when they question you Jason… you're gonna have to tell the truth, like you said your prints are everywhere in that house. There is no way you can lie about not being there." He nodded his head as he rubbed his hands together slowly. This was why he went to her with his problems, she didn't judge. And instead of telling him what to do, she listened and suggested.

"I know…I know…but the cops will see it as my motive….Sam I can't...I can't take that chance." Jason said as he looked at her finally. Her brown eyes mirrored the same feelings that were coursing through him; fear and worry. "It's gonna be okay." He said as he moved closer to her then pulled her into an embrace.

"I just…I don't want

to lose you." Jason held her tighter, and he felt Sam move closer. Their embrace lasted longer than it should have. But the feeling of her arms around him and his around her, felt like home.

"You won't lose me…not now, and not ever." Jason whispered into the crook of her neck before placing a gentle kiss. He felt Sam slowly pull away, and then look into his eyes. Before he knew what he was doing his lips were covering hers, and his hands were running down her back and along her waist. Sam didn't pull away she was kissing him back with the same desperation.

Jason heard the slam of a door, and just like that he was back in his car, which wasn't parked in Sam's driveway, but across the street from her house. The sound of a door slamming came from Sam, she had just arrived home from work, he assumed. He was thankful that he was parked across the street, and that his car was hidden by the dark shadows that the tree behind him provided. He wouldn't have to explain his reason for his unannounced visit. Jason watched as Sam headed into the house, closed the door behind her and within 20 minutes the living room lights were off. Jason let out a loud sigh, he had been dreaming, he never left his car. He couldn't help but wonder how long he had actually been sitting there. He shook his head with disbelief, what the hell was he thinking. _The last thing Sam needs is to be dealing with his problems_. Jason said to himself as he started up his car and headed home.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I just want to thank all of those who have read and left comments I truly appreciate it. I'm so sorry for the delay a lot going on right now, from the hurricane to my friend leaving for Italy and now I'm going back to college a week from now. I will try to update as much as I possibly can. Again thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the next chapters.**

* * *

><p><strong>THE NEXT THREE DAYS<strong>

**Wednesday**

Jason woke up not feeling as rested as he would have liked. How could he sleep, when his brother is dead and the police could possibly be looking in his direction. All night he tossed and turned, while his mind debated the possible outcomes of the decisions he had to make. If he told his grandfather about AJ's betrayal, there's a possibility he would believe him. But the truth was, he didn't know how much phony evidence that AJ had. As for the police he could lie and say he wasn't there that Saturday night, but his prints were everywhere in AJ's apartment. He could tell the truth, but will telling the truth only backfire and make things worse? Not telling the truth seemed like it could do the same damage. Jason turned over onto his stomach and groaned loudly into his pillow. He was going to lose his mind if he continued to think of _'the what if's'_. He looked over at the clock on his nightstand; 7:00 am he read to himself. He had to be at work in two hours. Jason let out an annoyed sigh before practically crawling out of his bed and dragging his feet to the bathroom. He hoped a nice, long hot shower would wake him up. The shower helped some, but it didn't alleviate his paranoia and stress. When he arrived to ELQ, he felt at home, and somewhat relieved that he could get lost in his work, without having to think of all the problems that he still hadn't dealt with.

"Jason...what are you doing here?" Edward asked as he walked into his grandson's office. Jason kept his eyes on his computer screen and continued to work. He knew the look that his grandfather was giving him, and he did not feel like seeing it at the moment.

"The same thing you're doing…working." Jason said as he typed away on his computer then wrote something on his note pad. Edward shook his head in disbelief.

"You should go home and take some time to grieve." His grandfather instructed. Jason put down his pencil to control the growing bundle of emotions that were wreaking havoc within him. The last thing he wanted to do was go home. Because going home meant having a lot of free time to think and he didn't feel like thinking. He just wanted to get lost in his work. And he already grieved for his brother. It wasn't much, but neither was their relationship.

"And you should be doing the same." Jason replied softly as he looked into Edward's cerulean eyes.

"I am going home…I was tending to some things that needed my signature and okay. Also, I knew you would be here." Edward said as he walked near Jason's desk and covered his grandson's hand, with his own before adding. "I am saying this as your boss, not your grandfather…go home son...take a few days off. The business will be here when you get back." He patted his grandson's hand before walking to the glass door and pulling it open. Jason watch as his grandfather got onto the elevator and wave a good-bye as the doors closed. After 10 minutes, he threw down his pencil and gave in. He decided to take his grandfather's advice. Being at ELQ only reminded him of the conversation that he should be having with his grandfather. This was a decision he still was debating on. Instead of going home, he choose to see his daughter and also inform Sam of AJ's passing. He just hoped that he kept his hands and lips to himself and not repeat what he did in his dream.

"Hey…aren't you supposed to be at work?" Sam asked as she opened the door and allowed him to enter.

"Edward gave me the day off…actually a few days off…so I figured I spend them with Lila." He replied as they walked into the living room together.

"Well that was very nice of him…" Sam said with a bright smile. Jason felt his heart ache, he missed that smile. Her voice brought him back to the present. "Oh my god you closed the deal...that's why he gave you the days off?" She asked with enthusiasm. Jason had forgotten about the Cohen Pharmaceuticals deal, they were still waiting to hear back from them. He told his grandfather that they shouldn't have gotten their hopes, well he didn't anyway.

"No, actually…" Jason said as he turned to look at her. "There's something I should…" Before he could finish he heard the pounding of little feet running across the wood floor. Jason looked in the direction of Lila's room, she had emerged and was running full speed towards him.

"DADDY." Lila shouted with joy and open arms as she ran to him. He immediately crouched down and picked his daughter up, twirling her in the air, before resting her on his hip. The sound of her laugh washed away the stress and worry, and all he could think about was preserving his daughter's innocence and happiness.

"Hey princess…" Jason placed a peck on his daughter's cheek before pushing the wisps of hair from her face. "I've missed you." He said as he looked into her bright, teal blue eyes.

"I've miss you too. " Lila said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest. He was glad that he didn't stay at work, being with his little girl seemed to be more of a productive stress reliever than exercise or overworking himself at ELQ.

"Well I have off from work for a couple of days, so I'm gonna be by to visit more often." His eyes found Sam's for confirmation. A wide bright smile was present on her lips as she nodded her head.

"Really?" Lila asked as she lifted her head to look at him. Her eyes widened and her face lit up with happiness. In the back of his mind he couldn't help but feel guilt of his negligence creep up. How could he allow work, and power get in the way of what is important, family.

"Yup…and I figured today we can do some more soccer practice to get you ready for camp. What do ya say?" Jason asked as he set her back on her feet and crouched down in front of her.

"Yeah." Lila replied as she nodded her head and began bouncing up and down.

"Alright sounds like a plan, put on some sneakers and take the ball outside. I'm gonna speak to mommie for a bit, okay?" Jason said as he stood up and then ruffled her hair.

"Okay." Lila said quickly before skipping to her room. Jason and Sam waited until their daughter went outside in the backyard, before picking up where they had left off.

"So what do you have to tell me?" Sam asked anxiously as she moved passed him and sat down on the couch. He followed her into the living room, and did the same. As soon as he got settled, he knew the best way to start the conversation was to just say it and get it over with.

"AJ died...last Saturday." Jason said slowly and watched the shock appear on Sam's face, which then turned to sympathy.

"I'm so sorry." Sam said as she placed her hand on his. He stared at it for a long period of time. His mind traveling back to his dream that he had the other night. _FOCUS..remember why you're here_, Jason said to himself.

"Yea...um it was a big shock..." He said as he began to rub his forehead with his other hand. How was he supposed to tell her…he didn't want her involved but he didn't want to leave her in the dark either.

"Wait…last Saturday, isn't that the day you…." Jason stared at her and his body became tense. He was expecting to see suspicion or worse fear, but he saw neither. But even if she didn't show it, he still didn't want her thinking or questioning, if he had murdered his brother.

"Sam, I didn't…." She shook her head, as she placed her other hand on top of his, and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I know you didn't…it's just, what happens when the police investigate?" The worry in her eyes, matched the worry that was weighing on his mind and heart. Jason stared at their hands briefly, before answering her.

"I know that I can't lie to them…my finger prints are in the apartment and on AJ's body." Jason said, as he looked over at her. Sam's eyes fell to his wounded hand. He watched, as her finger tips gently glided over the healing scars. His eyes closed slightly, her touch penetrated so many memories and was awakening feelings he had kept buried out of hurt and pain.

"With AJ not here to blackmail you…are you going to tell Edward, what you know?" Sam asked as she removed her hands from his. Jason's body trembled from the loss of her warmth and withdrawal. Having her so close was like a drug, as soon as he was near her he was able to think clearer, and his stress would be on pause until his contact with her was over. "I think you should tell him…I know how Edward feels about you, if AJ was still here and tried to blackmail you. Your grandfather would still believe in you and wouldn't take anything that AJ said seriously." Jason looked into Sam's eyes. She had a point, if he didn't do anything it would only make things worse.

"Your right…I should tell Edward, I should have told him in the beginning, but I just wanted to make sure that it was AJ." Jason said with a sigh. He felt stupid for not saying anything before, but he didn't want to accuse AJ of something if he didn't have proof, that he did it. Not to mention, he felt he should be up front with his brother, give him the opportunity to turn himself in and do the right thing. But he should have known better, he should have known that AJ wasn't the type to do the right thing.

"It doesn't matter how late you tell him, just as long as it comes from you and not anyone else. And as for AJ's murder…you can't worry about something that hasn't happened yet. When it does…I'll be here…if you need me." Sam said before wrapping her hand around his. Even through everything that he had put her through, with his disappointment and negligence she still chose to stand by him. The sound of their daughter's voice entered his ear and cleared his mind of his previous thoughts.

"Daddy…are you going to help me with soccer or not." Lila asked with a pout. Jason and Sam looked at each other. There was one thing that they did right.

"Of course I am, I was just telling your mom that if it was a match between you two and me, I would win." Jason teased as he got up from the couch. Sam raised her eyebrow as she smirked at him.

"That sounds like a challenge…Lila do you think you're up to teaching daddy a little something about soccer?" Sam asked as she kept her eyes on Jason.

"Yea." Her daughter said as she jumped up and down. They exchanged looks and smirks before walking out to the backyard, with Lila in the middle, holding their hands.

**Thursday 7:35 am**

Rayner woke up the next morning and went straight to his study to check his e-mail, to see if there was any update on his present case. He had two messages in his inbox, which he opened and read aloud to himself. "We got a lead, the killer's blood and fingerprints are on the body. The gun that was used was a .38 revolver. Call me if you got my message." The next message was from Cruz asking him if he had gotten the pictures that he faxed to him. Rayner got up from his chair and walked over to his fax machine. A stack of papers lay waiting in the tray. When he picked it up and turned them over, he was greeted with some blurry black and white snapshots from the video footage that they had received from the owner of Metro Court Hotel.

Rayner walked over to his printer and scanned the pictures onto his laptop. He reduced the blurriness and cropped out the part that showed the suspects faces. He double-clicked on each picture causing it to magnify. After he edited each photo, he began examining the suspects. One, appeared to be the maid that had called in the police. The other, appeared to be a man that is an employee at Metro Court, and by the looks of his uniform, he worked in maintenance. The third suspect, however looked familiar, and it took him a second to realize why. Within a flash, his memory reminded him of why he had recognized the man in the photo. It was the Quartermaine's youngest son, Jason. He opened his phone and called Cruz.

"Good work Cruz…I'm gonna need you to look up some information on a possible suspect from the footage, Jason Quartermaine, the victim's younger sibling. Also, bring in the maid and the call Jasper Jacks, ask him who was working in maintenance on Saturday night." Rayner instructed before hanging up his phone.

Jason woke up with a permanent smile on his face, his stress was gone. Within one day of spending time with his family, his mind was alleviated of the clutter that had been compressed in his conscious, for the past couple of days. He had made up his mind and decided to tell his grandfather about AJ's embezzlement, he gave him the evidence that he had to prove, his story. Edward wasn't too happy. If anything he was more disappointed and hurt, that his grandson would betray his own family and company. But he was grateful and thankful that Jason had come forward and filled him in. Now that his grandfather knew of AJ's betrayal, Jason felt a weight lift off of his shoulders. Of course that didn't mean that the situation was solved, he knew that his grandfather would need him to clean up the mess, that his dead brother left behind. Which is why, he planned on going in early and leaving as soon as possible, so he could spend time with Lila, and hopefully Sam too. As for AJ's murder investigation, Jason decided to take up on Sam's idea; which was not to worry about it, seeing as how it hadn't presented its self yet.

After Jason had gotten out of bed and into the shower, he felt different, weightless. He didn't feel a headache slowly progressing to a migraine and it didn't hurt to breathe. He found himself enjoying his morning, and even noticed a little pep in his step as he walked out of his bedroom and into the living room fully dressed. Jason had just finished making his coffee when he heard his doorbell ring. He checked the time on his watch as he walked over to the door before peering into the peep-hole. He didn't recognized the man on the other side of the door, but his gut was telling him, that whoever he was, wasn't visiting to bare good news. He finally opened the door after the mysterious man rung the bell again.

"Hi…can I help you?" Jason asked as he took in the stranger's appearance. The man didn't look as if he was there to sell him anything. He watched the stranger take off his sunglasses and tuck them into the front pocket of his shirt.

"I'm Detective Thomas Rayner…I'm here to ask you a couple of questions, regarding your brother, AJ's murder." The Detective replied. Jason felt a cold chill creep up his spine, and the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand. Just an hour ago, the thought of AJ's murder had escaped his mind, now it was back weighing heavily on him once again. Even though he had expected this, he wasn't fully prepared. Jason stood frozen, unsure of what to do. Rayner cleared his throat, before speaking. "Are you busy…because I can come back at a later time?" Jason quickly shook his head. He couldn't stall, it was best to get it over with, plus he didn't want to add any suspicion to himself.

"No, um now is good. Please come in." Jason said as he opened his door wider and stepped aside, allowing The Detective to enter into the house. He watched as Rayner began examining the house, before taking a seat on the couch. Jason chose the chair across from the Detective and sat down.

"I am authorized to inform you that our conversation will be recorded so that it protects you and me from any possible accusations that could come from any outside sources in the future. Do you understand what has been explained to you?" Rayner asked as he pushed the button on the recorder and set it on the coffee table in front of Jason. He could feel his heart began to beat rapidly in his chest and fear clench at his throat as he nodded.

"Yes, I understand." Jason said to the Detective as he got settled into the seat.

"Do you know if AJ had any enemies…someone that would want him dead?" If he knew who wanted AJ dead or who the killer was, he would point the police in the person's direction. Instead of saying what was on his mind, Jason answered reasonably.

"Um…no, none that I am aware of." The Detective nodded his head slowly, before writing something on his notepad.

"If you don't mind me asking where were you on Saturday night?" Jason took a deep breath as he thought of a reasonable way to answer the question. The dream he had of Sam popped into his head. He couldn't lie, for all he knew the Detective already had evidence on him. Plus if they didn't have the evidence now, they would surely find it. But he was jumping to conclusions, he didn't have a motive, and they probably had other suspects. But they tend to focus on the ones closest to the family.

"I was home spending time with my daughter and then I took her back to my ex wife's house." Rayner nodded his head slowly, writing something else in his notepad. "And then I went to see if AJ was home." Jason added, and he watched as Rayner's head popped up quickly, his eyes watched him curiously.

"And was he…home?" Rayner asked his eyes remained on him.

"Yes…he was." Jason answer smoothly.

"And what time was this around?" His mind drew a blank as he tried, for the life of him to remember the time he had left Sam's house.

"Um…I don't really recall the time, but I think, around 11:40 pm maybe midnight." Jason answered with a hint of uncertainty.

"May I ask what you two were talking about at 11:40 pm or 12:00 am?" Rayner asked curiously. Flashes of AJ's bloody face entered his mind. Jason was thankful that his wounded hand was covered by the other one.

"We were discussing his continuous absences and personal business matters that I cannot disclose to you, based on company confidentiality." Jason answered and then added. "May I ask…how did he die?" The Detective looked at him for a second before answering.

"Well, your brother was killed instantly with a bullet to his head by a .38 caliber revolver. You wouldn't know of anyone who would own one of those?" The Detective asked as he stared Jason down, in attempt to intimidate him. "Would you?" Rayner asked pointedly.

"Detective if you have something to ask me…then do it, were all adults here." Jason said as he stared back at Rayner, with a cool and calm expression on his face. As cool and calm as he looked, he felt the opposite.

"Mr. Quartermaine…do you own a gun?" Rayner asked as he wrote something down on his notepad.

"No…I don't." Jason answered, he knew for sure that he didn't have a gun. He looked at his watch; 9:00 am. _SHIT_, Jason said to himself as he slowly got up from his couch. "If that's all the questions you have Detective Rayner…I have somewhere to be right now." Jason said as he straightened out his suit jacket and waited for the Detective to stand before walking to the door.

"Thank you for your cooperation, if you remember anything from that night, that you would like to inform us about." Rayner reached in his front pocket of his shirt, and pulled out a business card. "Then call this number and ask for me."

Jason nodded his head before saying."Have a good day." He closed the door as soon as he saw Rayner get into his car and then immediately pulled out his cell a phone. The call went straight to voicemail so he left a message. "Sam…listen okay…the police are going to come by and question you…I don't know when but, they'll ask if I was at your house… tell them the truth, tell them that I was there, but do not and I repeat do not, inform them that you know about AJ's embezzlement or that I was at his house that Saturday." The last thing he wanted them to do was to think that she was in on it.

**Thursday Part II**

Rayner walked into PC Morgue and headed straight down the hallway that lead him to the room, where his victim's body was being held. As soon as he walked in, his eyes immediately made contact with Frank's. They both gave each other a nod as Rayner made his way over to him.

"So what you got for me?" The Detective asked as he came to stand beside Frank and began examining the dead body.

"Well for one… the bullet that was lodged into our victims brain, is from an old .38 Merwin-Hulbert revolver. The gun is very ancient, to me anyway...plus not many of them exist now a days." Frank said as he handed Rayner rubber gloves, which he quickly put on so he could examine the bullet more closely.

"When will the Quartermaine's come by to pick up our victim's body?" Rayner asked as he set the bullet back in the silver canister.

"They'll be here at 4." Frank said as he covered AJ's body with the long, white sheet. Rayner nodded his head slowly as he tried to decide if he wanted to stay and wait to question them. Truthfully there was nothing that he wanted to ask them. It was their youngest son that he was interested in. After The Detective left the morgue, he headed straight to the PCPD to talk to Cruz.

"Cruz, did you get any information on our suspects?" Rayner asked as he walked over to Cruz's desk.

"Well I spoke to our victim's maid, Lucinda Martinez. Her story checks out, she said she arrived at the hotel at 6:30pm to clean AJ's apartment, and then she left a little after 8pm. On video it shows that she did indeed arrive at that said time, and left at 8:25. As for the maintenance man his story checks out as well. Oh…and I did a background check on Jason Quartermaine for ya." Cruz said as he handed Rayner a file on their latest suspect. "The guy is like Ghandi, not only does he donate to charities that his family holds, at their private lake house every year. But he's clean he has no criminal record. Not even a parking ticket or a jaywalking ticket. " Cruz said with a shrug as he stared at Rayner expectantly.

"Well…sometimes all it takes is for someone, or something to make a man snap…and Ghandi was no saint." Rayner said, as he took the file from Cruz's hand and patted him on the shoulder. Before walking over to his desk and doing a search on Port Charles residents who had firearm registration and then he narrowed the search down to Port Charles residents who had firearm registration for a .38 Revolver. A wide smile spread across the Detective's face when he found exactly what he had been looking for. Well not exactly, but pretty damn close to it.

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you for taking the time to read my fan-fic. I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am enjoying writing it. Please bare with me, I'm still working on chapter 7 and would like to have that done before I post chapter 6. **


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